Capricious
by stellvrr
Summary: Eᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏɪɴ ʜᴀs ᴛᴡᴏ sɪᴅᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏғᴛᴇɴ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʟʟᴇᴛ ɪs ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜᴘᴄᴀᴋᴇ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ɢɪʀʟ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇs ɢᴏᴛʜᴀᴍ ɴᴇᴇᴅs sᴏᴍᴇ ᴋᴀʀᴍɪᴄ ʀᴇᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀʟʟ ʙᴇᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ᴏғғ, ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ɪғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ. "ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ... ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ?"
1. Chapter 1

[ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ ]

Hey there everyone. First off thank you so much for checking out my story.

Second off just as a little side note I'd like to point out that the time setting of the story is episode 2x11 but from there on out I might stray from the story line.

Also I will let Satan run rampant in this fanfic and I mean it; so yeah, trigger warnings are freebies.

P.S. There are multiple OCs. Only one will be the love interest & main character.

* * *

 **ʟ** **ᴏᴠᴇ** **ʟ** **ᴇᴛᴛᴇ** **ʀ**

ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴄᴏɪɴs; ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ғᴀᴄᴇs. ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs. ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ɪғ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs, sɪᴍɪʟᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄᴏɪɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ғʟɪᴘ.

•••

 **T** he blood glistened under the hazy sunlight.

The dim illumination was the best one could hope for in Gotham where gloomy weather was a trademark. Somehow the city seemed like it was built for calamities. The pale rays of light, the grungy sights that contrasted so disgustingly with the haughty decor of the more privileged buildings, it all came together to form a setting that practically urged for catastrophe.

Under those circumstances the scene the girl stood in front of could even be considered cinematographic; a body laying lifeless, the fresh scent of crisp morning air mingling with the tang of rotting flesh, gashes on the victim's forearm and stomach still leisurely streaming out of the wounds. A twisted grin formed on the girl's lips without her consent and she quickly diminished it before someone looked at her like she might have some sort of necrophilia. It wasn't the fact that there was a dead man sprawled in front of her that was making her smile. Rather the fact that she was going to be one of the people solving that crime, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. She'd always been keen on puzzles. Fae Noland loved to solve things no matter how uncanny or impossible they seemed. She could still recall the first 3000 piece puzzle she finished or the moment she realized that science wasn't just her favorite subject it was the most accurate way to figure out real life puzzles.

The sharp snap of latex pulled the girl out of her daydream. The tall man beside her adjusted his gloves as he went directly towards the pool of blood in the middle of the location. He took two steps then suddenly stopped and spun to look back at her with a goofy kind of face.

"Come along now."

The girl quickly jolted into action as she followed after the man with her notebook and gloves in hand.

Police sirens wailed as men and women in suits, blue uniforms and plastic coats went around marking the perimeter, making calls, keeping people away from the area where the dead man lay. Her smile crept up on her again and this time she was caught.

"Thrilling, isn't it?" The odd man smiled brightly as he eagerly stood over the body.

Fae's black eyes stared back to him with a cool demeanor.

"I've dreamed of this day." She slightly smiles, pulls a pen out of her pocket and clicks it.

"Too bad he had to die for it to come true." The dark humored joke was meant to break the ice with her new resident but worked a little too well. The young man burst out in a rambunctious chuckle as a few officers gave him annoyed looks from the corner of their eye although the man was much too caught up in his laughter to notice. Fae was embarrassed by the boisterous reaction but kept a friendly smile until the man was through. He let out a satisfied sigh and playfully waged a finger at her.

"You're a riot."

She awkwardly shrugged with the same cordial smile and confused eyes. He grinned and shrugged back with an inexplicable glee before crouching to examine the victim. Fae observed the peculiar guy with curiosity; plaid moss green suit, tidily combed hair, glasses, cleanest shoes she'd ever seen in her life. He was unusual to say the least. But there was something about the uncommon that called out to her. Perhaps it was because she considered herself to be just as strange. The thought made her disregard the looks the man had received and she felt almost lucky to have been assigned someone as curious as Edward Nygma.

Ed inspected the body with precision and intrigue and Fae crouched beside him to do the same.

"Can you guess what kind of wounds these are?"

"Clean cuts, cast-off stains; blade, maybe a knife."

The man smiles with a nod.

"Yep."

A pair of black shoes appeared at Ed's left causing both the scientists to look up to the blond man standing with his hands on the sides of his belt. Jim's blue eyes scanned the area with the look of repugnance and animosity that he seemed to have on as a default.

"Good morning detective Gordon." Ed greeted the man as he stood with one swift movement.

"Morning Nyma. What've we got here?"

"Uh well, victim is a 29 year old male, no past records, just recently got a job as a chemist at Ace Chemicals, given the state he's in he'd probably been out drinking before he was attacked. Maybe he was mugged?"

"Mr. Nygma, I have to disagree with you on that."

Fae suddenly unlocked her vision from the body to the men standing above her.

"His zipper is open, obviously that could easily have been something you could forget if you were as drunk as this guy was but I doubt you'd completely break it off." The girl stood as Jim and Edward listened to her rationalization.

"Are you saying he was the attacker?" The detective said as Harvey arrived bringing the scent of black coffee and musky cologne.

The girl cocked her head making her ponytail tilt and made a face that showed it could be a possibility.

"Could be. You never know in Gotham, right?"

"I hear that." Jim agreed and turned to his partner who held a foam cup in his hand.

"Hear what?" The older detective asked nonchalantly to the blond as he eyed the two others standing around the body.

"The intern, uh..." Jim pauses for a moment while looking to the girl.

"Noland. Fae Noland." The girl pipes in upon queue.

"Noland here says the victim may have initially been the attacker. Probably attempted rape."

"Well that taught him." The man nodded as he took a sip at the steaming liquid in his cup.

"Yeah." Gordon stretched out as he stared at the dead man.

"Does he have a girl; an ex maybe?"

"Let's get on that." Jim snapped his fingers and the two went off in an instant.

Edward and Fae were left to each other once again and a slightly uncomfortable silence started to set in.

"Very observant, Ms. Noland."

"Mrs." The girl said and Edward started to fidget and adjust his glasses.

"I - I'm sorry. I didn't see your..."

Fae raised her hand and wiggled her bare fingers.

"Ring." Nygma blushed and smiled a bit at the girl's humor as he looked down.

"Just messing with you. Thanks by the way."

Ed looked back to her and watched her smile, amused.

"You're very welcome Ms. Noland." He raised an eyebrow and they both looked down to the man.

"Back to work." The girl stated with a nod.

•••

 **G** ood luck was never an option for Fae. To her it was always just a myth or something that happened in movies to help ease the pressure of being the hero. And since she was no hero she'd never been granted such a luxury. Now compensation was another thing all together and to Fae it seemed to be the only thing that worked. She thrived from it actually; she didn't have many friends so she compensated by being an ace student, she wasn't strikingly gorgeous so she compensated by being open and kind, she was facing imminent death so she compensated by being humorous.

The girl took another glance at her watch and heaved in a deep breath as she made out the time. The respirator she wore muffled her quiet conversation with herself as her gloved fingers meticulously examined the corpse that laid cold in the equally frigid M.E room. Nygma's abrupt entrance made her immediately stop whispering her worried thoughts and smile instead.

"So?" The tall man asks, walking in while placing his own mask over his mouth and nose.

"I'm absolutely sure it was an attempted rape that got this guy killed."

"Really? How so?" Ed stepped up closer to the dead man as he analyzed the spot she was pointing to.

"That there is the spot where he got cut. The attacker made sure to get past the intestines and reach the common iliac artery." Fae gave him a knowing look and the man responded instantly.

"The arteries connected to the pelvic region."

Nygma's eyes widened at the piece of information.

"Whoever did this wanted to punish him not just defend themselves." Fae concluded and stepped away from the metallic table as she peeled off her gloves.

"Hmmm. Very interesting." The man trudged out his words with a thoughtful expression.

A giggle echoed in the silent room and Ed snapped back to notice the girl shaking her head and removing her mask to reveal a grin on her face.

"As interesting as it may be I believe my shift is over."

Edward turned to check the LED clock that announced 8:00 P.M in bright red then redirected his vision back to the female.

"Ah... It seems it has." He watched from the corner of his eye as Fae unbuttoned her lab coat and smoothened her light blue blouse.

Nygma twiddled his thumbs and pressed his lips together as his eyes scurried around the room.

"Ms. Noland."

The girl looked up as she placed the white coat on her left forearm.

"Yes, Mr. Nygma?"

"I - I wonder... I mean, it is your first day on the job and perhaps you'd like to get a coffee... To relax." He finally manages to stammer. The man nearly holds his breath as he awaits the response.

It came followed by a warm smile and gentle black eyes.

"I would actually." Fae nodded and Ed lit up with a childlike happiness.

"I - I..." He began to stutter but stopped for a moment and recollected himself.

"I'll be just a minute."

Fae nodded again and left the room as the young man stood unbuttoning his own white coat.

The girl tried to forget the thoughts that swam in her mind as she walked down the hall of the police department. The surgery would fix everything soon. Soon she would be able to go out with friends and dance like she loved to and not worry about having a moment stolen from her because of the fear of having a heart attack at any moment.

Soon, soon, soon.

The mantra had been her personal therapy against depression and anxiety for the last couple of weeks since she found out she'd need the bypass.

Soon, soon, soon.

"All set." Edward's voice pulled her out of her trance.

He greeted her with an animated grin that eased her so easily that she couldn't help but smile back.

"So..." She drew in a breathe as they walked out of the police department and into the chilly air of the city.

"Where should we go?"

•••

 **E** d thought it was all in his head. He kept trying to recall if Fae had truly accepted his invitation to go out for coffee or if he had simply dreamt it. He wasn't sure if the shine in her charcoal eyes were due to the lights in the café or if it was because she was enjoying their time together. He didn't really know if she'd truly been so kind to him the days following that either. He kept asking others if they'd noticed the intern just to make sure she wasn't another figment of his imagination. She wasn't. She was as real as one can be before transforming into a fairytale; sweet and humble and oh so witty.

In fact it was her enthusiasm towards his riddles that made him question her verisimilitude in the first place. She was always answering them correctly. Sometimes immediately. Sometimes it took her a few hours but sooner or later she would come up with the answer. Usually that would make him feel a little defeated like the only thing he considered unique about him was possible to someone else. But when it came to Fae it was almost as if she was the missing puzzle piece. As if the riddle only mattered if she answered it. And so he made sure to always come up with one for her.

I'm tall when I'm young and I'm short when I'm old. What am I?

That one didn't take her two minutes. She simply smiled and answered with utmost ease; a candle. He first realized she was fond of his riddles when they were solving the drowned man case.

What is as light as a feather, but even the world's strongest man couldn't hold it for more than a minute?

Harvey looked like he would very well drown him as well before she rang in with the answer; his breathe. Soon enough it became a routine; they met on the job, Nygma would propose the riddle and without a doubt Fae would answer it correctly. There was no reason why today should be different. But it was.

Starting with the fact that the body laying lifeless in front of him this time was none other than Fae Noland's. Nygma moved slowly and tensely as he observed the girl drenched in her own blood. She was still in the same outfit that she'd been in when she left the department last night; a black skirt and a jeans button up shirt. Ed recalled how perfectly ironed the shirt had looked yesterday while they casually spoke and went about the GCPD side by side as always. The deep crimson fluid that stained it completely made the piece of clothing hardly similar to what it had been. Especially since the killer had gouged the girls torso from chest to stomach with one slash of a blade.

"God dammit." Harvey hissed as he walked up behind Ed.

The scientist dropped his notebook from the shock of Harvey's sudden comment yanking him away from the scene that burned itself into his memory. Jim arrived just behind his partner and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was and in what state she was in. As Ed crouched to pick up the small black book Jim and Harvey exchanged looks then observed the man who was coming back up while wiping the notebook.

"Nygma, you ok with being here?" Jim asked concerned and the tall man merely nodded as he stared at the dead girl.

"All these young people are screwed. First that kid from Ace Chemicals now Noland." The older man shook his head with a disgusted look on his face.

"You think there's a connection?" Jim's eyes went from Harvey to the girl on the ground.

"Don't know." Harvey scratched his beard as his eyes fixed on the gory mess at his feet.

"Let's go back to the office, take a look at her file maybe then we'll come up with something."

All the while Nygma was silent, immobilized as his brown eyes took in each detail of the bloody scene ahead. Jim and Harvey where about to leave, in a bit of a rush, when Jim spun to look at the forensics expert.

"Nygma."

The man's head snapped back to look in the direction his name was coming from and eased into the situation.

"You sure you're ok?"

Ed bit the tip of his tongue inside his mouth. He wasn't ok. He was pissed. It seemed love truly was his curse. Kringle should have been all the proof he needed but he was naive enough to try to give it another go. This time around someone else handled the task of assuring him that he wasn't going to get what he hoped for anytime soon.

"No worries Detective Gordon, we'll find who did this." He assured as he nodded to Jim who nodded as well.

"Ok."

It may have sounded like something people say to cope with lost but Edward Nygma was a determined person. He never quit until he hit the mark. From that moment on he was resolved to find the culprit and so he would. There was no other option. He looked back to the scene and started collecting clues, writing each little detail on the pages of his notebook.

1\. Sharp force trauma/Laceration (full thickness)

2\. Double-edged weapon

3\. Blood angle: Up?

Suddenly he stopped. He stared at the splatter of blood that had nearly dried on asphalt. Up? Ed couldn't understand at all. What kind of strange weapon would create a 90 degree angle splash? Another droplet caught his eye and he followed like a hunting hound. It lead him to a small pool of the same blood that colored the entire area. The murderer had stopped to watch Fae die. He slashed her than stood there, his weapon touching the floor and created that circlet of blood.

The riddle was enough to stump even Edward Nygma. He would need to go back to the lab. Perhaps further examination of the body could give him the hint he would require to find the answer.

•••

 _Why? Y. Why? Y._

That was the only thing on Nygma's mind at the moment. He questioned what could possibly drive someone to killing Fae as he proceeded with the Y-incision that he was more than accustomed to. The scalpel barely did much seeing as the killer had done a pretty prestigious job at slicing in a perfectly straight line down her chest.

"Sturdy hand." Nygma mumbled under his breath as he pulled back the skin and continued the autopsy.

He started with the stomach. Carefully he removed it, weighed it and put it aside for further testing. Then the liver and other major organs were separated from the body, each one cataloged as it was withdrawn from it's owner. As Ed started pulling out the lungs he noticed something different. Whatever it was it seemed to be glimmering and hidden just behind the victim's heart.

"What's this?" The young man asked himself curiously. He meant to reach out to grab it but realized he still held the girl's right lung.

"Oh." He playfully scoffed and rolled his eyes at himself before setting the body part aside.

Returning to examine what the shining object was he found a pink, laminated card. Nygma went to pluck it but it slipped due to his gloves. He lifted the heart and left lung to retrieve the uncanny thing and as he observed the card an amused sighed left him. The card was not only pink but it had his name on it in cursive handwriting.

He read the pun and tried his best to stifle the chuckle that tried to find it's way out. Turning the plastic card he found a small message;

ᴛᴏ ᴇ. ɴʏɢᴍᴀ

I ɢᴜᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴏғ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɢ.

Ed furrowed his brows at that. Too much of a good thing? Could the killer be referring to the fact that Fae was similar to him? She was fond of riddles, puzzles, mysteries; it fit. He looked down to Fae's lifeless body and instantly realized that the letter was indeed about her. The real question was who did he know that would want to kill Fae because of him. Who was so infatuated by his persona that they would kill someone just to make sure he was unique? Also this person didn't seem afraid of being exposed. They left a very personal piece of evidence after all. But maybe this bravery wasn't so much bravery as it was a sadistic kind of coercion. Perhaps they already knew about what he'd done to officer Dougherty or Kristin. Suddenly he became very worried. He needed to burn the letter before it got him in trouble. He wouldn't though. The inquisitiveness that seemed to run in his blood wouldn't let him leave it at that. More than that he'd just started his transformation and he wasn't about to let anyone get in the way of what he was becoming.

The man examined each letter of the card in detail as a wicked smile spread on his lips. He had accepted the challenge and that meant he was going to discover who this secret admirer was at all costs.

"Neat-O."


	2. Chapter 2

**ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ᴇʏᴇs ᴏғғ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ**

ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ. ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴄʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ɪɴʜɪʙɪᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ sʟᴏᴡʟʏ sɪɴᴋs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴠᴇʀ. ɪᴛ ᴍᴀʏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟs ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ғᴏᴏʟᴇᴅ; sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀs ʀᴜɴ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ.

•••

 **E** d's eyes swept away at the papers avidly searching for something that might be the key to the killing.

But Fae's records were completely clean. Other than distinguishing science fair and spelling bee awards she wasn't all that enviable. The young man sighed and reread the data once again.

 _Born in Gotham._

 _22 years old._

 _Graduated from GCU with a bachelor's degree in forensics science; top of her class._

"Nygma!" Suddenly a female voice called out to him in a loud whisper. His stood up straight to see Lee motioning for him to go towards her.

Promptly he closed the file and headed over to the doctor.

"Yes, Dr. Thompkins?" The man displayed a bright smile to which the other only stared at him dumbfound.

"What were you doing in there? You're gonna get yourself fired." She warned him while motioning to the chief's office. Ed turned to look into the dim room, the file on Fae Noland laying on the large oak desk.

"Oh, right. Well I suppose my curiosity got the best of me." The man gave a nervous little laugh and the woman shook her head with a sigh.

She felt bad for the guy. Everyone had noticed how close he and Fae were getting then suddenly she dies. It seemed as if relationships truly weren't his forte.

"I finished the brain exams for Derek Patterson, why don't you go give it a second look before I take the report." Lee suggested, hoping that he'd entertain himself and get his mind off of the tragedy.

He watched as she left and took at a look at the clock. It was nearly lunchtime. He looked left and right noticing all the bustling commotion of the GCPD and for the first time since Fae's murder the loneliness of his reality hit him. The phones rang, colleges chattered and random men yelled from the common cells about their innocence, everything was in continuous movement but to Ed it all felt like blurs and white noise. He was utterly alone this time. He hadn't noticed before but it slowly dawned on him that in order for his true identity to develop he would need to detach himself from luxuries such as love. It had hit him like a train with Kringle and now Fae seemed to be the knockout blow.

The man stuffed his hands in his lab coat's pockets and felt the smooth little card's cool touch on his fingers. He started pacing as a little smirk formed on his lips and he redirected his thoughts to the matter that haunted him. Whoever this killer was they knew exactly what they were playing at. The crime scene was completely rid of any informative evidence and the wound was practically surgical. Ed knew a perfectionist when he saw one and this guy was one. He tried to think about the correlation between a perfectionist and Fae. The girl was diligent and organized, she was nearly a perfectionist herself. Ed doubted she would do anything that would irritate a killer of the same ranks.

The M.E room was as cold and quiet as the bodies that lay there. Each little metallic drawer opened to reveal a pale corpse with an aura of mystery surrounding them and a Y sown on their chest. Nygma pulled open the one who's toe had a tag reading Patterson D. The typical procedures were taken as Ed slowly forgot about the card and began to concentrate on the case at hand. The simple routine was something Ed reveled in and relaxed him. He recalled the first time he'd seen the corpse and all of Fae's words came flooding into his mind.

She'd been pretty sure that it was an attempted rape but Ed never really took it into account. It wasn't so much the fact that he didn't believe her as it was simply something he didn't care about more than the attractive female ahead of him. In a sense he was relieved that Fae had died. After careful consideration he was determined that she would have made it difficult for him to focus on the side of him he'd recently come to accept. But now that she was gone he could see how she was probably closer to the mark about the case than he'd thought. He went to the box that held the victim's belonging and placed it onto the tabletop. Next he went to the briefcase that held the forensics tools that he occasionally used. Pulling out the UV flashlight he walked back to the take the victim's pants out of the box. He clicked the button on the flashlight and instantly the phosphate naturally found in sperm glowed.

"She was right about this too." He breathed out with a grin that slowly disappeared as he had a thought.

He abruptly dropped the victim's clothes back into the box and shuffled out of his gloves. Ed stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the card. He merely waved the flashlight over the pink card and his jaw dropped. The letters G, C and U had been traced with invisible ink that now glowed in Ed's hand.

Gotham City University, the college Fae had graduated from. The killer was there and they wanted Nygma to go after them.

•••

 **T** he clicking of his shoes echoed and lost itself with the clutter of other sounds. Teenager girls laughed and chatted as they walked by hauling books and taping away on phones or sipping iced drinks, boys in varsity bomber jackets eyed the young man in his suit and chuckled as he passed them. It was hell all over again for Edward Nygma. He'd hated college almost as much as he'd hated high school. It was contradictory how he could shine in class and become a smudge outside of it.

"Mindless slobs." Ed cursed under his breath but reminded himself to be glad he was one step closer to discovering who the killer was.

A satisfied smile plastered on Ed's face followed him as he went towards the long front desk where three ladies sat as they took phone calls and typed away at computers. Getting any clues from them was highly improbable but like most desperate people he was willing to try anything.

A blonde who had just put a phone down stood as she plucked a sticky note and started to write something as Ed reached the desk.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if I could get a tour of the..."

He was cut in the middle of his sentence when he looked down to what the girl was writing. Rather not what she was writing but the way she was writing it. It was the same handwriting from the card. The girl finished writing the note and looked up to him.

"Sorry. How may I help you?" She said in a sweet voice and a glimmering smile.

Ed stared at her, flabbergast at her cynical manner. She had killed Fae and left him a letter and now as he stood in front of her she didn't even seem surprised. Perhaps she wasn't. After all she had left him the clue. But still it took Ed's breath away to see how casually she could act given the circumstances. Her blue eyes stared back at him as she kept that innocent act flowing steadily. Now he knew for sure that she knew about his own murders. How else could she seem so carefree, as if there was no way that he would denounce her to the police. She would surely snitch on him as soon as he did that. All these thoughts rushed through Ed's head as he remained speechless at the sight of the girl.

"Sir?" She called out to him again.

"May I help you?"

"Weren't... Uh... Weren't you expecting me?" He stuttered and continued to stare at her.

The girl took the note and a few papers as she stepped out from behind the desk.

"I'm sorry, sir, what's your name?" She smiled and Ed nearly fell back at how dissimulated she was managing to be.

He chuckled as he looked down then fixed his glasses into place as he looked back to her and answered.

"Edward Nygma."

Suddenly there was a spark in the girl's eyes and she tried, very poorly, to hide her grin.

"I'm sorry, sir, I wasn't notified of your arrival today. Who would you like to see?"

"Oh, never mind. Perhaps another time."

"Sure. You can arrange an appointment with one of the other secretaries." She smiled and nodded towards the main desk.

Ed merely nodded and the girl started walking away in her pencil skirt and lilac shirt.

"Ms." He called and she turned to look at him.

"I didn't get your name."

"Heather Knightly."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Knightly."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Nygma."

She went back on her way and Ed was glad she was the boastful type. It seemed she was thrilled to be putting on that little act. It was going to be much easier to kill her now that he knew how vain and stupid she was.

•••

 **B** ack at the GCPD Lee was handing the complete report on Derek Patterson to captain Barnes. Harvey and Jim stood side by side as she explained the evidence that led her to believe that the death may have been caused by self defense from the intended rape victim.

"You telling me the victim killed the attacker?" Barnes looked to Lee with his typical serious expression.

"Seems like it." She looks to the detectives besides her then back to the captain.

"The guy's ex says he was violent." Jim shrugs while making a face that the others in the room knew the meaning to.

Barnes sighed and let the files drop on his desk as he sat back down.

"No other evidence?"

Harvey inhaled annoyed and put his hands on his hips.

"No sir." Jim answered quickly to keep the captain from saying anything to his partner.

"Fine. Dismiss the case."

"Right away, sir."

The three left the office and Harvey instantly started complaining.

"A guy's killed during an intended rape, no evidence on the perp and the tightwad has to think about dropping the case."

"Harvey, at least wait till we've left ear range." Jim playful scolded his ticked off partner and smiled at Lee who smiled back.

Ed walked by as the three spoke without noticing the subject. His eyes were glued on his wristwatch as he counted down the minutes until his shift was over. All Ed could think of was getting rid of that girl. He needed to keep the number of people who knew his little secret to a minimum. Penguin hadn't posed as a threat yet but this girl was trouble from the start. To kill a member of the GCPD was already bad but it was even worse to leave a note designated to him. He wasn't the most popular figure in his workplace and a letter like that found in his intern's dead body was not going to get him any more friends. It wasn't something that needed debating; he was going to kill Heather Knightly that night.

The fact that he was nearly invisible to most of his fellow coworkers was a benefit at the moment. Ed quickly made his way past a few cops, eyes fixed on the door. He got to his car determined to complete his task. The dark side of him seemed to take full form once the sun went down. Opening the door of his aquamarine MG Magnette Mark he felt the tingling sensation that came with the anticipation of a kill. Ed got in and started to drive to GCU. He would follow Heather back home then take care of business as swiftly as she would allow.

The college grounds were just a bit less noisy in the evening than during the day. Nygma made sure to stay a reasonable distance and in shady places that wouldn't harbor too much movement. The hard part was knowing which car would be the girl's. It took so long for her to finally come out of the building that Ed was worried she'd left earlier. Luckily she hadn't. When he saw the same blonde hair bouncing with each step the girl took Ed sat up a little bit and prepared himself. She got into a white BMW and took a while before driving off. Perhaps she was checking her phone. The young man waited patiently until she drove out of the parking space and the parking lot. To Nygma's distress the girl didn't head straight home. Rather she stopped at a fancy looking bar and waited until a man arrived and entered with her.

"Great." Ed grunted as he let go of the steering wheel and slumped back into his seat. Certainly he couldn't get to her if she left with someone but then again he couldn't let her go either. Not now that she knew that he knew her identity. In the end all he could do was wait and see. After about an hour and a half of jazz songs and continuously checking the time the girl finally come out of the establishment while laughing and speaking to the man. Ed's brown eyes focused on the two and hoped that the drinks they had wouldn't interfere with his plans. A second later another man walked out and the one talking to Heather turned and smiled. He then waved her goodbye and walked along with the large guy beside him.

Nygma scoffed and giggled at his luck and waited until the girl was in her car again. He was about to turn the key to his own vehicle when he heard the distinct click of a gun. Turning to his left he saw a man in a dark hoodie holding the weapon up to his head, separated only by the car's window. Ed sighed and slowly let go of the key.

"Get out." The mugger ordered and he obeyed instantly.

The stranger kept his gun pointed to Ed the whole time and as he stood there with his hands near his ears he spat more commands.

"Give me your money."

Nygma's eyes left the man's gritty face to realize the white BMW was leaving, making a left. Upon being ignored the robber became irritated placing his gun directly on Ed's abdomen.

"You deaf man? Money, now."

The diversion had already messed up Ed's plans more than enough and he was fed up with the chaos the simple goal had turned into. He faced the man again and glared at him as he dropped his hands to his sides.

"Shut up, won't you?" Nygma tiled his head and before the man could even assimilate what had happened a blade had pierced his stomach. The robber's eyes looked up to Ed with a surprised and frightened expression and the blade punctured him once more. Then again and again until Nygma was sure the man was dead. He then sighed annoyed and hauled the body into his trunk.

Back in the driver's seat he thought about what to do. He didn't know where the girl lived but he knew she'd gone left. He looked around a little to get a clue of where in the city he was and a satisfied grin decorated his lips when he realized that the road left led straight to a street with a few old apartments. He drove out of the parking lot and took a left. Nygma was a little tired of all the time he'd wasted just to track this girl down and hoped she wouldn't put up too much of a fight. Kristin had been almost too easy but this one was a killer; she would certainly have a different reaction to someone trying to murder her. He stopped where there were three brick buildings lined up side by side on the street he'd been going down for a while. Having no idea which building was the girl's he had no choice but to check all three and hope she really did live on that street after all. The man got out of his car and went to the first building, on the right. There was a receiver and a little plastic box with the names of the person living on each floor. None of the names were the girl's and Nygma started to wonder if she'd lied about her name. He went to the building on the left and was relieved to read Heather Knightly in that tauntingly perfect cursive handwriting. She was on the third floor. He pressed the button for the first floor and a few minutes later a woman's voice answered.

"Yes?"

"Good evening, Heather forgot her key. She asked me to bring it up to her."

"Oh yeah, sure."

The front door clicked open and Nygma went straight in. The silver blade seemed to burn a hole in his pocket and he was dying to get this over with already. Slowly and quietly he went up the first flight of stairs. As he started up the third flight of stairs he held the weapon he would use in his right hand and tried to remain as silent as possible. Each step was taken with more caution than the last as he inched ever closer to the floor where the girl resided. From the hallway he could hear a melody coming from the girl's apartment. He couldn't quite make out what song it was but it seemed very familiar. As he passed the dark corridor he noticed the door was slightly open. Nygma felt his muscles start to contract as he tried his best to keep his breathing silent. As he reached the door he realized the tune playing, quiet loudly, was The Flamingo's I Only Have Eyes For You. Ed carefully walked in and just as the song was ending he noticed a dark liquid on the floor. He had seen that crimson fluid much too often to confuse it with anything else. The song started playing again on its own as he stepped into the living room where the girl sat on the white sofa smothered in her own blood. Ed stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the full sight of the body. The girl had been pierced through the heart and her blue eyes had been gouged out as well.

Nygma didn't even feel appalled by the scene due to how astonished he was that he'd been wrong about the killers identity. He folded the blade and put it back in his pocket as he detected the organs missing from the girl laying on the glass coffee table her body sat in front of. They were near a piece of paper that had been folded in half. Ed assumed it was another note and was correct at thinking so. He attentively craned the note up from the table and opened it to see the same handwriting.

ᴛᴏ ᴇ. ɴʏɢᴍᴀ

ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ʀɪᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴇss ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ.

Nygma could barely think straight. Whoever this killer was they were making him furious. These games weren't so wise and they were definitely not something he wanted to get mixed up in during this delicate phase in his life. He was irritated. From the beginning he'd been vexed by this killer but that wasn't to say they didn't have his full attention.


	3. Chapter 3

[ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ ]

Hey, guys. So... I assume that you're at least a little interested seeing as you've made it past my two very naughty little teases for the real killer/OC. BUT. I am happy to announce that it won't be long now. Keep on reading and let me know what you've thought of the story up to now.

* * *

 **ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴᴀɢʀᴀᴍ**

ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪs ᴇ.ᴠ.ᴏ.ʟ . ᴏxʏᴛᴏᴄɪɴ, ᴅᴏᴘᴀᴍɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇʀᴀᴛᴏɴɪɴ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ sᴄʜɪᴢᴏᴘʜʀᴇɴɪᴀ, ᴘᴀʀᴀɴᴏɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴsᴀɴɪᴛʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ.

•••

 **Two days earlier**

"You did what?" Oswald asked flabbergast as he waddled around the table where Ed sat eating his dinner tired as one might be after burying two bodies.

"What else could I have done?" The man shrugged as he brought the fork up to his lips.

"Oh, I don't know, burn the letter, leave the body. Anything but what you've done." The dark haired man spat sarcastically before standing in front of Ed with a annoyed face.

"Why would you do what they said anyway?"

Nygma's eyes looked up to the man in front of him while his face hovered over the plate. Oswald raised his eyebrows and shook his head as if to show he was waiting for an answer.

"I think they know." He finally said then looked back down.

"They know?" The Penguin repeated the words mockingly and Ed gave up on eating and stood.

"They know about me. About what I did to officer Dougherty and... Ms. Kringle." He stammered as he left his plate in the sink.

"So? Get rid of them too."

"I would if I knew who they are." Ed spun around almost snapping and Oswald lifted his hands and closed his eyes for a minute.

"Alright alright." He sat down and Nygma walked up to him a bit calmer.

"You've been through something like this before haven't you? What would you suggest?"

"Well..." Oswald dragged out the word as his eyes drifted to the upper left and he tried to come up with something clever.

"You've already taken the bait, might as well let them reel you in."

•••

 **T** he GCPD was slower than usual that Thursday. The only one's truly out on a case where Jim and Harvey, true to form. The detectives were still on Fae's case and but Ed knew that without that vital piece of evidence that he had burned long ago they wouldn't make up any leads. Meanwhile the forensics scientist tried to come up with his own theories as to who it might have been. It was most likely to be a woman. She probably was about the same age as her victims and somehow endearing enough to get close enough to them before she killed. But with that simple profiling Ed had thinned the possibilities down to one thirds of Gotham. He shook the thoughts out of his brain for a moment and tried to concentrate on the tedious paperwork for a mugging that had happened a few hours ago. It was nearly four in the afternoon and the rain that poured since that morning still hadn't let out. It simply alternated from a slight drizzle to thunderous chaos every now and then. Nygma kept his mind busy by counting the variations between the two and quietly thinking up riddles about rain.

As he took a sip of piping hot coffee he whispered to himself.

"What goes up when rain comes down?" He placed the white mug on the table he was sat at, making sure the question mark stamped on it faced him.

Another thunderclap shook the room a little and he smiled.

"Umbrellas."

Nygma grabbed the papers and headed out to file the reports in Kristin's former room. He found it strange yet thrilling to walk into that room as if he was as unaware of the ex-employee's whereabouts as the others. The one thing he didn't like about the place now was the fact that instead of a beautiful and sweet girl, a very tedious and ill humored old woman kept the place in check. He opened the door to find the lady sitting at her desk, a doughnut in one hand and a foam cup in the other.

"Mrs. Landings." He said simply to acknowledge her being there.

"Nygma." She answered for the same reason.

Ed walked up to her desk and held out the papers.

"The reports on the burglary from earlier."

The woman eyed the young man holding out the documents then took another bite of her doughnut. Ed's grip tightened a bit more on the papers and he watched as the lady looked back up to him, unamused.

"Leave 'em there. I'll take care of it later."

Instantly the man aligned the papers by tapping their bottoms on the desk before carefully setting them on an empty space of the desk. All the while the woman watched him with half lidded eyes. Ed looked back up to her and she leisurely blinked.

"Thank you."

"No problem." He smiled and spun to leave the place as soon as possible.

The main lounge of the department was much more interesting to Ed on boring days like that one. Now that he'd finished his obligations for the time being he decided to hang around the main room and listen into the happenings, as few as they might be. Just as he chose a column to lean on as he observed a young girl came in through the door. She was tall and carried a burgundy umbrella. Her short brown hair was damp and her skin was as pale as porcelain. She closed her umbrella and looked around for a minute befor heading towards one of the desks where a detective stood at organizing his things. The girl had caught Nygma's attention and so he slowly started to walk down the staircase and move surreptitiously closer to the two. Ed snatched a random file from a desk he passed by as he approached the girl. When he was a distance where he could hear their conversation he stopped and pretended to be reading the papers in his hands.

"Do you have a reason to suppose that?" The detective asked and the girl inhaled a little.

"Well, I mean she didn't mention she'd be moving or anything and her friend said that he went out drinking with her before she disappeared."

"What's the girl's name?" The detective seemed to take an interest for the case now that there was a situation that might imply a crime.

"Heather Knightly."

Nygma's ear pricked up upon hearing the name and he felt a strong inclination to leave the department that very same moment.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Sure." The girl said as she took out her phone from inside her coat, clicked a few buttons and showed the detective a picture of the blonde.

"How long has it been since you last saw her?" He asked while taking in the features of the girl's face.

"Well, last I saw her was Tuesday. Robbie says they went out to that new bar that opened just outside central then she went home. But she didn't go to work yesterday and today she didn't even call or answer any of my texts." The girl seemed pretty worried about Heather and Nygma thought about how she was three feet underground right now.

"I'll need that picture and an address where I can find Robbie and we'll be right on it."

Ed felt as if this was the killers queue. They had told him to rid of the body specifically to get the missing person case started. He had been waiting for this. It was the bit of thread he needed to pull on until he reached the person holding the other end and he wasn't about to let it get away from him. He walked by the two and the officer played right into Ed's game.

"Nygma, grab your umbrella. Missing persons." That short introduction to the situation at hand was all the detective offered as the young man nodded back enthusiastically.

"Okey Dokey."

•••

 **A** few minutes later Nygma and detective Sanders were at the reception section of GCU. Nygma kept trying to get the droplets of rain off of his plastic department issue coat as he heard the detective charmingly greet the girl behind the desk and ask a few questions. All the while the girl in the blue coat stood quietly with her arms crossed. Nygma couldn't help but watch her from the corner of his eyes. Something told him to watch out for that woman. She pretty much fit in the criteria for his theory on the killer and besides that she worked at the GCU just as the first card had hinted. All that plus the fact that the killer had attacked Heather on the same day that he'd talked to her made him think how only someone who knew he had gone there could act so promptly. The more he looked at the girl the guiltier she got. She was too calm about the whole thing. Maybe she'd gone to file the report specifically to be above all suspicion.

"Nygma!" Detective Sanders voice abruptly snapped the man out of his thoughts.

The girl in the velvet coat and detective Sanders along with the other secretary all stared at his stunned face.

"Uh... Sorry, what was that?" He stuttered and the officer rolled his eyes.

"Go over there and get some of the girl's prints." He ordered while motioning to the desk.

"Oh, yeah, sure thing."

The man ran over to the desk and started his work as the detective resumed his interrogation of the two secretaries.

"Anyone else meet with her recently? Anyone unusual, someone she just met?"

"No." The girl besides Ed answered while shaking her head and the other made a humming sound.

"Well, she had lunch with Lu last week but she didn't mention anything weird about it."

"Lu. Who's Lu?" Sanders seemed curious about the probable new suspect.

"Lucinda Yin. She's a doctor here at the college's hospital."

"Has she been around for long?" He questioned further and the short haired girl scoffed.

"Yeah. Heather knew her but they weren't friends or anything."

Ed finished dusting the girl's computer keyboard and stood to his full height as he looked at the detective for further instructions. Sanders gave him a short glance then turned to the secretary once again.

"Can you take us to her?"

"Sure."

After walking past a few campuses, all three of them holding up umbrellas and trying not to shiver so much from the cold wind, they reached the college's hospital. The place was clean and cold and so white it hurt to stare at for too long. The telltale signs of a hospital were all there; the bustling of staff and patients, the smell of chemicals and a type of distilled air, the low mumbling of a television set playing some random news channel. Nygma had always had a bit of an admiration for those in the medical field. As much as he found it exciting to examine the victims he always thought how it must be exhilarating to be able to see the human body up close while it was still living.

"Right over there." The woman said while pointing to a female in a white coat speaking to a small crowd.

"I'll leave you both to it then." She stated while looking to the detective then Nygma.

The young man's eyes narrowed as he observed her smile.

"Thanks." Sanders replied and the girl left. Ed's gaze followed the girl until a sudden outburst caught his attention.

He turned back to see the people who the doctor was speaking to hugging each other and laughing relieved. The woman started to walk down the hallway and detective Sanders started following her, Nygma right behind him.

"Dr. Yin." He called out and the girl turned around calmly.

"Yes?" She answered in a smooth and sweet voice as she waited for the men to reach her. The large glass wall to her left let in a soft grey light that illuminated the woman in scrubs.

"Dr. Yin, Fred Sanders, GCPD. We were wondering if you've had any news of Heather Knightly."

"Heather." The girl said while looking into the detective's eyes.

"I met with her just a few days ago." She said while her hazel-olive eyes swiped from the detective to Nygma then back again.

"Is she alright?" She took a step nearer as she questioned. She seemed almost childlike if comparing her small stature to the other men's. Even her tone was as shy and unsophisticated as a quiet little kid's.

"That's what we're trying to find out. No one's had word of her for two days now."

"My god." The girl looked to the detective unbelievably.

"Did she mention anything unusual when you last met."

"I- I don't think so." The girl shook her head as she looked to her upper left.

"I didn't really know Heather."

"Why did you two go out for lunch then?" Sanders asked her curiously as he narrowed his gaze on the girl and her large cat eyes stared back to him.

"Heather was very popular. But we never spoke much, I mean, I never spoke much... I invited her to lunch because..."

The detective and Ed were listening intently to the girl. She offered a bashful smile and shrugged a bit.

"I needed some relationship advice."

The detective sighed and Ed quietly nodded understanding her dilemma. The girl's cheeks had gone red and it was almost entertaining to see how much she squirmed after revealing that.

"I wasn't that close to her but she was a good person. I couldn't imagine anything bad happening to her."

The detective looked down for a minute then up again.

"You said she was very popular. Do you happen to know anyone who didn't like her? Someone she might have had a falling out with or something like that?"

The girl tilted her head a bit and her chest length chestnut hair fell onto her face. She pursed her lips and tucked her hair back behind her ear as she slowly shook her head.

"Like I said. I didn't really know her much."

The detective nods eagerly and starts to back away.

"Alright. Thanks for talking to us."

The girl stood there watching the man leave then looked to Ed who was still standing there. He smiled at her and the girl hunched her shoulders uncomfortably and put her hands in her coat pockets while she turned and walked away just as gently as she arrived. Nygma's expression went from a smile to an awkward drifting gaze.

"Right then."

The drive to the next suspect was dead silent. Even the rain had stopped to add to the sensation of the unnerving hush. When they finally reached Robbie Fraizer's apartment the detective was eager to get to at least some sort of lead. Nygma only hoped that the whole thing didn't blow up in his face. The lowly apartment was noisy from the downstairs neighbor's exaggeratedly loud TV and the upstairs neighbor's incessant stomping. Detective Sanders was obviously at his limit with the secondary case. He had the type of regretful look one has when performing a chore that they themselves volunteered for as he knocked on the suspect's poorly painted red door. No one came to it and the detective knocked again.

"Coming!" A voice came from the other side and in a few minutes there stood a young man in a grey shirt, blue jeans and socks.

"Can I help you?" The man asked unamused by the two at his door.

"Detective Sanders, GCPD. May we come in?"

The guy looked back inside then sighed.

"I guess."

He swung the door open to reveal the mess inside the apartment and Sanders walked in, Nygma followed after him a bit grossed out by the state the place was in. There were clothes thrown around the floor and a bowl of cereal laid out on the table. It reminded Ed that he would have to do laundry after he got back home that night.

"So what's this about?" The guy asked as he flopped on his couch and crossed his legs.

"Heather Knightly is missing." The detective started and motioned with his head for Nygma to start inspecting the house.

"What?" The young man looked to Sanders then to Ed as he stood up.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I-I-I..." Ed stutters as he looks at the man standing menacingly in front of him.

"You seem jumpy." The detective interrupted Ed's stuttering.

"What are you implying?" The guy looked from the forensics scientist to the man standing with his hands on his hips. Nygma took the moment the young man was distracted to move past his chest and into the next room.

"You were the last person to be seen with the girl."

"I didn't do anything." The young man pointed to his chest while raising his voice.

"Heather's missing; that's one thing. Politely ask me some questions, I can help you guys out. I like Heather." The man slowly walked up to the detective with an annoyed expression as Sanders watched him apathetically.

"But you two coming into my house and straight up snooping around, no warrant, no nothing; now that pisses me off."

The guy had just finished his half threat when Nygma's hesitant hum broke the silence.

"Umm... Detective." He said as he gingerly held up a bloody cellphone.

Robbie and Detective Sanders looked towards the object Nygma was displaying then back to each other. Sanders promptly pushed the man around and began handcuffing him.

"Robbie Frazeir, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law." The detective went on stating the young man's rights as he rambled about being innocent and some obscenities.

Detective Sanders started to drag the man out to the car and Nygma stood there watching how well the killer played her games. Suddenly the black cellphone in his hand started to vibrate, causing Nygma to jolt and drop it. He looked down to see it was a text from someone called Beatrice. He ignored the text but went to the contacts instead, searching for the name. Clicking the only contact saved under that name he was presented with a picture of the girl who had gone to the police department earlier.

"Blue velvet coat." He said to himself with a grin.

•••

 **B** ack at the GCPD Detective Sanders handled the situation as Nygma watched from afar. There would be an alibi, Ed thought. He had left with that other guy. The girl was stupid after all. Now that he knew who he was after he could finally complete the task he'd been longing to do. The young man made sure to leave unnoticed and seeing as his shift was done no one would necessarily miss him either.

Everything had to be perfect tonight. Nygma went straight to GCU and parked in the same spot as he did the night he followed Heather. Patiently he sat in the car smiling to himself. Internally he praised himself for being so clever. The best part of all that mess was that he learned that he could keep his cool around the police. As he recollected his day he tapped his thumbs to the playful 50s music he listened to. Within a few minutes Beatrice stepped out of the building with an umbrella in one hand and the other adjusting the string of her purse. The girl didn't walk towards the parking lot so Ed assumed she walked. It would be easier still to kill her in an ally. Mugging with a little murder went together like eggs and bacon in Gotham.

"Everything's just dandy." He sighed happily as he opened the door to his car and got out.

Ed started to giddily stalk the girl, always just a few feet behind her. She past a few streets and he waited until she was calm and unsuspecting to slowly start approaching her. First he was two feet away from her then just a foot. He was about five steps or so when suddenly something tripped him and he stumbled into one of the dark spaces between the tall old buildings of the city.

In the darkness of the ally the only light was from the neon signs of the street. Nygma finally snapped. The last thing he needed was another idiot trying to mug him. He rose from the cold damp ground and flipped his knife out in a split second when suddenly a tender laughter arose.

"Mr. Nygma, I say. I expected you to be a little more clever." A female voice started to speak as a dark figure approached the man.

Ed instantly understood what the person was talking about and was fuming at the fact that he had been wrong twice. He pushed his hair back,closed his his knife and stood straight up.

"Who are you?"

The stranger took another step forward and her body was exposed. She was covered in a skintight black latex type of material. The glowing red signs from the street illuminated the metal details that protected specific parts of her body; the top of her feet up to her knees, her thighs, a few flat metal plates on her abdomen, her knuckles to her elbows and her chest. Hanging from her hips were a series of short sheathed blades and swords. She wore a samurai helmet whose crest was a yin yang sign that covered all but her piercing olive eyes.

"Yang." Although she answered from behind her metal mask Ed could hear the smirk ridding in her voice. She was the doctor from earlier.

He looked her up and down, both interested and annoyed. She'd been putting him in a sequence of dangerous events that could have all very well ended with him going to jail.

"So you're the one behind all this mess."

"What mess?" The girl cocked her head and Nygma dropped his shoulders as he stared at the girl.

"That guy you framed went home with someone last night."

"You mean the prostitute I payed? I don't think he'll want to admit to that or else he's the one going to jail." She asked then commented as Ed made a face that showed just how dumbfounded he really was.

"I see." He replied.

The man's expression made her giggle again then exhale sadly as she looked back to him.

"I must admit though, I'm a little disappointed. After everything I did to get your attention you didn't even recognize me." Yang folded her arms and looked down.

Nygma was at a lost for words. Never had anyone had a crush on him. Well, except for Fae.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It was love at first sight really." The girl put her hands behind her back like a guilty child as she explained.

"I had accidentally killed some creep who tried to rape me one night and I felt guilty. I went back to see him the next morning on my way to work and that's when I saw you." The girl looked up from her feet and to Nygma who stood there with an open mouth.

"It was the sweetest thing; like something out of a movie. You were laughing and had the biggest smile on. That's when I noticed Fae. How lucky was I to have a patient that worked with the man of my dreams?" The girl folded her hands and brought them up to her chest.

"I wanted to get your attention and I heard you liked riddles so here we are."

Ed watched her shocked by the confession. She was bizarre and amiable in a frightening way. Like tigers cubs when their soft fur is stained with some prey's blood. He stared at he wordlessly as her eyes bore into his as if she was waiting for him to say something, anything. Slowly he looked down and placed his hand into his right pocket.

"Well, Ms. Yang. I'm very flattered but I still have to kill you."

"Kill me?" The girl's eyes opened wide as she watched the boy pull out the Swiss Army knife.

"I can't have anyone else knowing about Dougherty and Kristin you see."

"Kristin? That redhead that used to work with..." Yang stopped mid-sentence and lazily pointed a finger at the boy as she pieced it all together.

"You killed Kringle?" Her excited voice questioned as Ed's eyes grew even wider than hers, realizing what he had just done.

"And this Dougherty fellow; did you kill him too? What a surprise Mr. Nygma. And here I was thinking I might scare you off."

Yang had just barely grasped the situation when the young man came rushing towards her, blade in hand. The girl swiftly moved back, avoiding the razor sharp end of the weapon. She stepped sideways so she was parallel to his extended arm then placed a hand under his and pressed his wrist back until he cried out in pain and dropped the knife which she caught.

"That's rude ." She wagged the blade while pretending to scold him.

The girl shrugged and held out the weapon to Ed.

"You'll come around to me."

He took the knife and looked into her eyes with a lethal expression. Suddenly the girl looked behind Nygma who turned to see just what she was looking at. Meeting nothing but empty streets he turned to notice she was back in the darker part of the ally as she called out to him.

"You know what's funny Mr. Nygma? I told you my name was Yang but you still called me Ms. Yang."

"What's so funny about it?"

Ed answered the voice although he was nearly certain she'd already left.

Suddenly she emerged just inches from him. The difference between their sizes was comical, with the girl stopping at his shoulders, but still she managed to be keeping the tall man under her thumb. She was so close now that Nygma could have pulled the blade on her. He could hear her breathe hitting against the metal over her lips and he watched the small wrinkles around her eyes reveal she was smiling.

"Ms. Yang could be an anagram for Nygma's."


	4. Chapter 4

**ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ**

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇ. ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ sᴜғғᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴏᴜs ᴋɪɴᴅɴᴇss ɪs. ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ's ᴛʀᴜᴇʀ ʏᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ɪs ᴀ ᴘᴇʀᴍᴇᴀʙʟᴇ ᴠɪʀᴛᴜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴇɴᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴋ sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ.

•••

 **A** quiet breeze coursed through the plain and the tall grass bowed to it.

The pale sun announced it was nearly evening as birds flew overhead each one calling out its own melody. Lucinda let out a small sigh as she watched them fly by, laid on the soft grass. The child's clothes were worn out and as dirty as her pink cheeks. Her hair looked like a tangled web spread out on the ground. Lu began to hum an unnamed tune as her dirt smeared bare feet wiggled along to the beat. The world was a simple as it could be at that time. A childhood spent in the wilderness. Never stopping in one place. Never growing roots. As malleable as clay. She didn't even know what state she was in. But she didn't care. She was just a ten year old girl staring up at a strawberry sky. She let her head lull to the side and noticed the small white bird struggling besides her. It chirped as it tried to take flight but to no avail. Lucinda turned on her stomach and lowered her face so that she was leveled with the animal. A vivid color staining the bird's pure white feathers caught the little girl's eye and she slowly moved a small hand towards it. Noticing that the little thing was wounded she gasped and stood up. Her large hazel eyes looked down to the animal and she blinked a couple of times as her fingers twitched. She crouched and carefully picked it up. Taking it up to her face she realized it was just the bird's left wing that had broken.

Lucinda didn't think twice before heading back home to help it. The grass flowed besides her long skirt and her disarrayed locks fell more like a mane around her small face. From afar she could see the van her sibling ran around. Lu giggled as she watched their dog flee from her little brother's gasp. She always found it funny how the blond went after the pet in nothing but his tiny little underwear until he was more dirt than boy. As she reached the area the vehicle was parked she started to search for her father. He wasn't napping in the hammock that he'd set up on the tree near the van so she suspected that he was with her mother making dinner. Sure enough as soon as Lu made it to the little circle near the tall trees she saw her dad sitting cross-legged and calmly smoking. The sweet and sour smell of the marijuana drifted over the iron pot that the girl's mother stood over.

"Dad." Lu called out and both her parents looked towards her.

Her mother smiled as she threw her long braids back and wiped her brow beaded in sweat.

"Hey, kiddo. What do you got there?" The man asked while smiling his signature wide smile. Lucinda smiled back and showed her father the bird in her hands.

"A little bird." He giggled and looked to his wife who walked up to her daughter.

"I think it broke it's wing." The little girl explained as the woman pet the little bird.

"Let's patch it up then." Her father replied as he looked to his daughter and she eagerly nodded.

During dinner Lucinda sat on the ground with the bird resting on her lap as she ate.

"I feel bad for it." She said as her little brother pet the bird's head.

"How come peach?" Her mother asked as she filled a bowl with more food and handed it to her husband.

"What if some other animal did this to him?" Lu looked down to the bird and frowned.

"Then karma will get to it." Her dad answered before taking a spoonful of the food into his mouth.

"But what if it doesn't?" The girl looked back up and her mother chuckled.

"Lu, what's your name?"

Lucinda smiled a little and answered.

"Lu Yin."

"That's right." The woman smiled and walked up to her daughter.

"And what does that mean?"

Lucinda's brother jumped up and wrapped his little arms around his mother's neck as he answered.

"Yin yang, right momma?"

The lady picked up the boy and nodded.

"That's right my little monkey."

She looked back to her daughter and smiled.

"Yin yang. What goes around comes around. So don't worry, ok kiddo?"

•••

"Dr. Yin, the patient is here."

 **L** ucinda looked up to the girl from the file she held and nodded. She watched as the intern went down the hall and thought about the details of the surgery she was about to start. It wasn't her first nor would it be her last but Lu had something in her that had always differed her from most people; she was an idealist and a perfectionist. On their own either of these traits could even be considered a quality to some extent. But together they became a burn. They caused the young woman to pressure herself, tease her own mind. She had to have balance. In everything there had to be balance. And to Lu if there was to be ups and downs then she preferred that the downs be part of her personal life. In the hospital she was a deity; every surgery was successful, every diagnosis hit the mark, interns idolized her as a professional. But as soon as Dr. Yin took off the white coat and became simply Lucinda she was a mere mortal again. Like most mortals she had to interact with people but to make up for her flawless performance at work she crumbled when it came to simply mingling. Young men would talk to her and she would forget how to speak. Lu never had a boyfriend. Lu never had friends. She just went by life as quietly and tidily as she could. It was strange to see her so prolific when she had to complete a task but as soon as she could relax and others were dying to question her on her efficiency she shriveled up into herself or simply avoided places that had people at all. Slowly she had grown accustomed to her workspace and was now at least able to answer her fellow doctors or manage a hello to the secretary and nurses. But by then everyone already had understood how she worked. The young men who had spent their residency along side her had quit their attempts at getting her to go out for a movie or talk about her hobbies. Instead they simply let her be, content with the minimal interaction the beautiful but unnerving female displayed every now and then.

Lu tightened her hands into fists and opened them out a couple of times as she entered the O.R. The silence of the room was only interrupted by the steady beeping of the EKG monitor. Lu always worked alone. That's why she had specialized in heart bypasses. In most hospitals two or three doctors worked on bypasses together just to avoid any inconveniences but Lu had proven to be so impeccable with her work that her boss had allowed her to operate on her own. As Lucinda made her way into the room where the anesthetized patient lay she took in a deep breath through her white mask. The only other person in the room was the anesthesiologist who always stayed just before Lu started a surgery. The doctor nodded to the woman and she went over to the phone on the other side of the room. As soon as the music started playing she left Lu to her work.

Yin always listened to jazz while she was operating. If one ever lightly heard Edith Piaf or Nina Simone playing in the distance it was a given that Lu was operating. The other doctors found that very strange some even called it creepy but Lu couldn't care less; she'd talked to her boss and mentioned how surgeons who listen to music while operating have been known to show better results than those too caught up in the stress of the process. Dr. Green didn't think it was too bad of an idea and after all the girl had been working at the hospital her entire career, it was the least he could do for her. The music drifter happily throughout the O.R as Lu carefully placed her scalpel on the unconscious man's chest. As she sliced down the body she hummed to the tune of Charles Trenet's La Mer. It soothed her to know that would be helping that good old man to live a healthier life after the surgery. Someone who actually deserved such help. Someone who served their country and cared for their family. Someone worth saving. Reaching the man's pumping heart the girl's eyes gleamed and she went forward with lightly snipping at a an artery. Blood splattered over her white mask but she continued. She looked back to his forearm that was open so that she could keep an eye on his other artery. Lu was in her zone. Everything went perfectly when she was like that. Each cut, clamp & stitch fit together like a puzzle. In the end the big picture was a flawlessly executed operation. She looked down at her work and smiled. She recalled having done the same thing for Fae. The girl was just as deserving of the surgery and she died anyway and worst of all by Lu's hand. Suddenly the girl's smile disappeared and she went on to close up her patient. She knew it had been wrong to kill the forensics scientist for such a petty reason. Somehow after seeing Ed she lost all sense of control that she'd taken so long to achieve. The mere thought of Ed made her throw common sense out the window and want to simply pounce on the idea of them together. She finished closing up the body and stared down at her work. It was impeccable yet the satisfaction that she customarily felt was lessened by the hypothesis that she was slipping from grace; letting Ed tip the scale that she'd taken so long to balance. The girl took her blood-covered glove to her mask and pull it down. A scowl was on her lips as she kept looking at the man laying on the table. The music still played softly from the counter besides her. She turned and pulled her gloves off as she walked towards it. The girl stopped the tune and walked out of the room as she beeped a nurse to take the man from the O.R.

•••

 **T** he faded orange hue spilled through the spaces between the large oak trees' leaves and tinted everything under it the same tone. Ed sat on the wooden bench with his hands folded over his lap as he traveled in his thoughts. The scent of pines mingled with the distant smell of the warm butter a man poured over the popcorn he was selling. The park had once been Ed's oasis. The picturesque setting calmed his mind and helped him unwind. He would consume himself with trivial details; the light bouncing of the golden fur of a dog, the distinct giggle of a young couple, children laughing as they ran in their pointless bliss. Ed would let that perfect little world drift him into a more peaceful state. From then on out he could concentrate and walk into the endless tunnel of his mind certain that as soon as he had finished sorting things in the jumbled space that was his mind he would be gently brought back by a playful bark or a stronger gust of fresh chilly air. All that seemed impossible at the moment. All the small details that Nygma considered charms were currently mere distractions. He unfolded his slender fingers and sighed frustratedly. Yin was truly torturing him. Knowing just how skilled she was he was sure that killing her would be a difficult task for him alone ergo he'd discarded the idea long ago. He hadn't seen or heard from her since the day before and wondering what she would do with the newfound information about him was starting to drive him mad. Of course now he had a certain degree of leverage on her as well but that didn't ease him as much as it should have. She was a witty one. The more he thought about how she'd tricked him twice the more he wanted to get back at the girl. The second time however was more his fault. He'd let himself be entertained by the innocent confession of a unlucky love fool and overlooked the rule he represented himself; never trust a book by it's cover. Suddenly the man stopped twiddling his thumbs as his eyes gleamed. An idea struck him in full strength and his gaze darkened as his lips spread into an ominous grin.

Lucinda watched the orange and purple intertwine and swirl in the sky as a couple of black birds flew by. White flecks slowly drifted down and covered the grass on the other side of the glass wall the girl stood in front of. The tips of her fingers had started to get cold so she balled them into fists inside her coat pockets to escape the chill. Tonight's job would be difficult. She always found it a little harder to complete her task when it snowed. What she really wanted to do was simply stay indoors near a fireplace. She wanted to curl up in a blanket and read as she listened to soft vintage tunes. Instead she was going to have to dress up in her latex suit that offered no heat what-so-ever and slice through some scumbag in the middle of the night. All that to balance things out again. She'd completed a surgery and so she saved a life. That being said she also had to take one. It was her rule of thumb. Her motto. Lucinda Yin was the acting hand of karma itself. Or so she thought.

After checking on another patient Lu went towards the hospital's kitchen area. There was always something warm to drink there and Yin was the type of person who always wanted something warm to drink. The smell of coffee and pastries wafted all the way down the hall, ready to lure any off-duty staff member to make a quick stop. Lu walked in and found that a few other doctors were there as well. They were talking quietly with friendly smiles as they held small plastic cups filled with coffee. It was the type of talk doctors usually have after a successful surgery. Lu knew because she'd observed it happen enough times to tell. She never had that type of interaction; telling people of her accomplishments, her feelings. To Yin things were always just what they were. You have to do something, then you do it, then it's done. Simple process. No short cuts, no forked roads. Just one continuous loop of duty and leisure; tasks and diversions. The girl picked a styrofoam cup from a small pile and placed it under the latte machine as she pressed a series of buttons to order her drink. As she waited she avoided looking towards the other doctors and they tried their best not to disturb their coworker as well. It was a well known fact that starting small talk with Lu was a dead end. Even if it was something that she was absolutely well versed or keen about she would limite her responses to a head nod or a hushed "I don't think so".

The machine beeped a couple of times and Lu carefully picked up her drink along with a mint that rested in a little silver tray. Her chestnut hair fell in an abstract waves around her face as she walked out of the building. The frigid wind blew against her skin and elicited a shudder from the girl as she walked towards her car. Lu brought the cup up to her lips simply to relish the steam coming from the sweet smelling liquid and warm the tip of her dainty nose. The girl bobbed her head down into her dark blue scarf, hiding her chin and mouth behind the checkered print of the soft fabric. She kept walking until she saw her baby pink coupe deville covered in soft bits of snow. As she walked closer the girl straightened her posture and moved the cup from her mouth. She saw what was written on her windshield and a goofy smile appeared on her pale pink lips. The girl observed the handwriting before walking to the door and placing the key in to open it. Lu placed her drink in the cup-holder and stared at the message that was spelled backwards now.

ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ

Yin turned on the windshield wipers and watched the letters disappear while she took a sip of her coffee.

"It seems you're warming up to me already, huh, Mr. Nygma?"

•••

 **A** s Ed walked out of the precinct and towards the snow covered parking lot she wondered if Lu had seen his message already. It was a bit strange to leave such a vague message but he was certain that she would deduct who it was from. He got into his car and silently drove home. The loft wasn't much but it was home. Walking to the sliding metal door Ed started to whistle a song. The dark apartment was decorated by the green neon lights that shine in from the window. Suddenly Ed stopped whistling and turned his head to the left. Lu sat innocently on the green leather chair in the corner reading one of his books.

"I didn't mean today." Ed stated as he entered the loft and closed the door behind him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." Lu put the book aside and stood as she started to apologize but was suddenly cut off.

"How'd you know where I live anyway?" He asked as he went towards the coffee table in the middle of the room to place his keys.

Lu smiled and answered a bit coyly.

"I... Um... I followed you after work." She looked to him and saw the annoyed look on his face.

"I wasn't going to do anything though... I just... I was jealous of..."

"Kristin?" He completed as he loosened his tie.

The girl nodded and Ed started to walk towards her.

"Huh, that's funny actually." Ed's tone was deep and meaningful as he spoke and Lu took a small step back, intimidated by his sudden proximity.

"Because you told me you saw me for the first time on Fae's first day. Which got me thinking; Fae arrived much after I killed Ms. Kringle." The man eyed Lucinda menacingly and the girl's brows arched in fear.

Yin awkwardly smiled and shrugged.

"You got me. I had noticed you a while ago..." The girl grinned slyly and Ed furrowed his brows as she spoke, getting more irritated with every word. Noticing this Lu tried to appease him.

"But Fae didn't die for nothing; if it wasn't for her then I'd never have found a fitting way to add Heather to the equation, you see? So in the end it all worked out just fine."

"Ms. Knightly? So that wasn't just part of you game?"

"No. Of course not. I don't just kill for killing." Lucinda replied seriously as she looked into Ed's eyes.

"Heather wasn't as sweet as she seamed..." The girl looked down.

"There was this girl that went to high school with us, her name was Emma... Heather drove her to suicide."

Nygma's expression changed instantly and he found it much easier to relate to the girl standing in front of him. He had killed Tom to protect Kristin so it was understandable that Lucinda would want to get revenge for that poor girl.

"I didn't even know her that well..." Lucinda looked up to Ed again as her gaze became dark.

"But I couldn't let Heather get away with that."

"Wait but that was in high school. How long have you been at this?"

"Officially?"

Ed stared at her intently and she understood he wanted direct answers.

"About a year."

The guy scoffed and looked at her.

"So I'm guessing you lied about killing that guy accidentally too. I should have guessed. Who has a suit like that unless their serious about their business?" Ed lashed out at himself for being so slow as he walked away while smacking his forehead.

"No that part was true. I was looking for someone else but he tried to rape me." The girl followed after the man and Ed suddenly stopped.

"Wait. We didn't find any other body." He turned to look at the girl.

She sighed and nodded.

"One per night. Balance is key." Lucinda explained and Ed just looked back her dumbfound.

"But I'm going after him tomorrow. It was supposed to be tonight but I figured you would want to say whatever it is as soon as possible."

"Right."

The man nodded and put his hands together.

"Actually I wanted to ask you something."

Lucinda smiled brightly and her eyes gleamed as she went closer to the men.

"Of course. What can I do for you Mr. Nygma?"

Ed looked down to the eager girl and hesitated for a bit. Her eyes were such a hypnotic feature. They looked like someone had poured honey into a cup of green tea and swirled it infinitely until the light green and the honey colored brown had merged into one. They were so happy and carefree that Nygma nearly gave up on what he was about to say. Suddenly though he recalled the circumstances surrounding them and decided to continue.

"I need you to forget about me."

The girl's wide smile suddenly subsided as she stared at Ed.

"I'm in a very delicate stage of my life right now and in order for it to be successful I need the utmost concentration. And you..." Ed considered if he should continue, given the look on the girl's face she was already devastated. Ed didn't mean to purposely break her heart but if it was the way to get back on track then so be it.

"You've proven to be a distraction."

Ed watched as the girl slowly nodded and looked down.

"I understand." She practically whispered and Ed felt a little bad for her.

He moved away from her and walked towards the door, slowly opening it as Lu stood motionless.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Yin."

Yin looked over to him with glossy eyes and sniffled back a tear, nodding again. As she exited the apartment Ed avoided her gaze. After crossing the door Lu turned to look at the man once more and smiled a bit.

"Farewell then, Mr. Nygma." The girl tried to appear as composed as she could as she said her goodbye.

"Farewell, Ms. Yin." Ed nodded and closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ**

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴏғ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴍᴏɴsᴛʀᴏᴜs ᴏғ ᴍᴇɴ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʟᴇsᴛ ᴀᴄᴛs ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴʟʏ sᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀ ɴᴏʙʟᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇxᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴs ᴡɪʟʟ ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴇʀᴏᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴍɪɴᴅs.

•••

 **A** nother scream echoed in the dojo followed by the thumping of feet on the waxed wooden floor. Lucinda's hands completed a series of precisely choreographed moves then returned to her sides. The girl's eyes were narrow and her brows low throughout the entire process. She took a couple steps forward then kicked as high as she could and in a blink of an eye she was standing in her initial pose once more. The girl took deep breaths as she stared at her form in the full wall mirror ahead of her. Her hair was a tousled mess that draped over her face. Her lips and her eyes were the only features that peeked through the chestnut maze of her locks.

Lu had went straight to her retreat after the brusque meeting with Edward. Both times they'd spoken the man tried to get rid of her. But the anticipation she'd felt after having him reach out to her this time had made the outcome hurt much more.

Lucinda stood straight and kept staring at herself in the mirror as her chest rose and deflated over and over. She was in black leggings and sports bra, her hands and feet bare except for the thick strap of gauze that was wrapped around the middle. Lucinda licked her chapped lips, breaking her scowl for a second as she walked up closer to her reflection.

She took in the disarrayed look that her face displayed; sweat sliding down her chin, her eyes deep set and dark, the only feature that proved she wasn't sick were her vibrant lips. The shade of pink that they carried was so feverish that it seemed as if they were the core source of all the blood in her body.

Those bright lips stretched to reveal a row of pure white teeth. The grin was adorable on its own but paired with the rest of the girl's expression became fearfully disturbing.

"Oh my darling, you've just created some very bad karma for yourself."

•••

 **O** swald slid a hand down his tie as he closed his eyes and smiled a forced and frustrated smile. The man had been having trouble getting his empire back together and today was proving to be the worst day yet. After his rough patch with Galivan the small gangs around the city finally lost the bit of respect that they had for the Penguin. In all reality they never truly respected him but rather feared the man. But after seeing just how vulnerable he could be that was out of the picture as well.

"Long story short, Penguin..." The woman looked down at her long red nails then up to the men standing in front of her. The rumble of the rock music playing just outside the office made the man's head thump and worsened his headache.

Oswald's lips were pressed tightly together as he observed the lady with disgust. She sat behind her metal desk shadowed by the orange neon sign at her back. Her pale legs, squeezed in net stockings complete with holes, were crossed over the large seat's armrest as she eyed Gabe then Oswald again with a chuckle.

Oswald's hand had traveled down to his side and formed a fist upon observing the crooked smile on the girl's black painted lips.

"You ain't the boss of squat here no more."

The man standing beside her chair chuckled as well as he shook his head while looking down causing his Mohawk to quiver with the movement. Oswald's grey eyes shot towards the guy as he raised his head again and stared right back at him.

"You sure about that?" The man in the suit asked firmly as he turned his glare to the woman.

She stood all of a sudden and began to inch towards Oswald. She got so close to him the ringlet on her left nostril nearly touched Oswald's own nose.

"You ain't got no kingdom. You ain't got a penny. You're done birdy." The girl whispered with a snare.

The veins on Oswald's hands were prominent as he tried with all his might to not pulverize the woman right then and there.

The tension between the two had made the smoky air of the club even denser. Oswald couldn't stand another minute in that filthy atmosphere. Suddenly he turned and started towards the door. The lady had returned to her seat and was watching the man hobble out when he suddenly stopped and turned to her with a steely gaze. The girl raised her brows to feign interest as the satisfied smile she had on grew wider. Oswald decided against replying and simply turned to the door again as he yanked it open.

"Bye bye birdy." The girl called out in a singsong voice and Oswald's expression became even more twisted than before.

He pushed through the crowd of people dancing, yelling and fighting, Gabe following just behind him. After they where outside Oswald took a couple of steps towards the car then stopped and turned around to glare at the dim orange sign spelling out The Rat Pack.

"Don't worry about it boss." The plump man said while he opened the door to the car for Oswald. The smaller man chuckled as his gaze narrowed.

"Oh, I'm not worried, Gabe. But they should be." He got into the car and Gabe closed the door immediately.

The man stared at the club and suddenly scoffed. His eyes shining from the vivid lighting of the sign.

"Rat pack indeed."

•••

 **N** ygma's breathe created smoke as he observed the frozen body just inches from his face.

"Incredible." He whispered to himself.

Jim and Harvey stood beside the victim looking befuddled and amazed simultaneously. It was a known fact that the crimes committed in Gotham were, in a way, theatrical but this was something completely new.

"What the hell could have done this?" The blond detective questioned Harvey as he stared at the frozen cop ahead of him.

Harvey opened his mouth to answer but was promptly interrupted by Nygma's excited voice.

"Oh, this is liquid helium, no doubt."

Both the men standing beside him looked at the guy who stood with a pen in hand and a large smile.

"You can see by the hues in his skin that it was immediate and obviously the only substance able to make such an impact so suddenly is super cooled liquid helium."

Harvey looked from Nygma to Jim seriously.

"Doesn't sound like something you could buy at your local supermarket."

"Correct. This type of material is mostly used in cryopreservation labs." Ed nodded and looked back to the frozen man as well as the detectives.

Jim and Harvey nodded while looking at each other.

"There can only be so many of those around." The older detective cocked his head and raised a brow to Jim.

"Might as well check them one by one.''

After spending the rest of the afternoon searching for more evidence at the crime scene Ed had returned to the precinct and was running some experiments with liquid nitrogen. The main question now was how the criminal had managed to freeze an entire body. As Ed fiddled with the chemical substances on the table ahead of him he smiled at the riddles about ice in his head.

I am hard and cold, people love me I am told, but once I flow I am wanted no more. What am I?

Just as he answered himself the words reverberated in his mind and he recalled how he'd been just as cold to Lu the previous night. Nygma set the beaker he held down on the metal table and walked over to the door of the lab to eye the hallway. Making sure there was no one around, the man reached for his phone from inside his pocket. His fingers covered by the black rubber of the gloves pressed a few buttons before Ed took the device up to his right ear. While waiting for the person to pick up he watched the hallway.

"Yes?" Oswald's voice answered and Nygma suddenly perked up.

"Mr. Penguin. It's Ed. I'm... Um... I know that our friendship has just recently been formulated and that perhaps it may be a bit early to ask such things but... I need a favor."

Oswald overlooked a dozen men loading up guns as he listened to Ed speak.

"What do you need?" The man asked while flicking his wrist to check the time displayed on his watch.

"I was wondering if you could get rid of someone for me." Ed started to stutter before going on to explain himself.

"I would do it myself but this one's proven to be experienced in our line of work." Oswald made a frustrated face before answering.

"Listen friend, there's nothing I'd like more than to pay back what you did for me and rest assured that I will but the fact of the matter is that I'm a little busy tonight."

"I completely understand." Nygma responded instantly and Oswald went on.

"Thank you Edward." The man nodded as Zsasz walked up to him, apparently wanting to say something.

Ed stood there looking down to the phone and hoping that it wouldn't take long until his new found friend would help him get rid of the minor setback. The more he thought about the girl's face as she left the more he felt a slight twinge inside of him. Like the broken remains of the old Eddie still screamed from the inside for him to have a heart. But it was too late. He'd given the other Edward the wheel and he was going to do things his way. Because in the end his way was the only way that made him feel like he was more than just a secondary character. The man put his phone back into his and went back to his experiments.

Oswald handed his phone to Gabe and looked to the tall man clad in all black.

"She just went in." He said simply, causing Oswald to smile widely and grab a gun from the table.

"Perfect."

The music pumping from inside of the club was muffled and tangled with the added sounds of arguing couples and laughing drunk friends surrounding the entrance of the grimy establishment. The mess was actually considered the norm in Gotham's gritty underworld. No one that would be against it knew where to find it and so it was the best place to take care of business that the law just couldn't handle for you. For that same reason Oswald knew that unless some cop was visiting his stripper girlfriend he would be free to tend to the issue at hand.

"Now?" Victor asked impatiently as he stared at his contractor.

Oswald clicked his tongue as he wagged a finger and stared out the window instead of at the bald man who rolled his eyes instantly.

"Not yet."

Victor and a couple of other men stood around him as they stared at the entrance of the Rat Pack. It had been almost thirty minutes since they'd started staking out the club and each one seemed highly unnecessary to Zsasz.

"You know we could take out the place in 10 minutes, right?" The guy questioned Oswald, irritated by the wait and spun on his heels to pace around once again when no answer came.

The man's icy blue eyes scanned everything that happened from afar. His crew was hidden in the abandoned building just in front of the club and could easily have taken down the entire place in just a few minutes given the fact that the place didn't have many exits and was dark as night on the inside. Not only that but Lilith probably thought she'd seen the last of Penguin. Oswald's expression twisted with disgust as he thought of the woman who'd insulted him. He was well aware that there's no loyalty among thieves but that one had taken the first opportunity to spit on him and for that she had to pay. He intended on showing her just what he was capable of.

Suddenly Oswald was pulled out of his vengeful thoughts when a distinct figure walked into the club. The man's tall hair bounced with each step and Oswald smiled darkly upon seeing how unsuspecting he was.

"Now." He commanded and Zsasz perked up as he happily went off to complete his task.

"Victor!" Oswald called out to the man who turned around with a smile.

"The Mohawk is mine."

"Sure thing." Victor grinned at the man and went along with the rest of the men who made their way out the building and towards the club.

•••

 **T** he brick wall felt cold against the skintight black latex that covered the girl's body and the only hint that she was breathing was the soft smoke lightly drifting upwards into the night sky as she stared down at the movement. Yang sat patiently stalking the traffic of the black backdoor, legs crossed and her hands laid out flat in the space in between her thighs. The tar black helmet along with the metal mask she wore over her mouth and nose kept her identity a mystery while her big green eyes were left free to monitor the door. She'd been watching it for about ten minutes now. By now she was growing tired of going over each scratch on the black paint and retrace the word "Exit" written in bright red so many times. The girl did her best to keep her stealth although she was growing impatient. One of the few reasons why she hadn't simply barged in already was the simple fact that she didn't want to be seen or heard and the best way to achieve that was to go in through the back door; the catch being the back door would only be opened when the band got there.

"Speak of the devil." Yang smiled as a group of people hauling guitars walked towards the door. She hastily rolled forward and fell down to the staircase just below her on her feet. A few more acrobatic jumps got her to the bottom of the building just in time to hold the door. It was inches from closing and the girl made sure to leave it that way, with only two of her fingers to hold the entrance. She was crouched down as she looked left and right to make sure there was no one else coming. Once she was sure the alley was empty again she rose and walked into the loud environment. Instantly everything was ten times darker than the moonlit night outside and that much more chaotic. Yang made a twisted expression as she walked into the smoky interior.

Quickly making her way out from the backstage area the girl found herself in a mess of people who were either much too colorful or entirely dressed in black. The whole place was a mixture of a nightmare and a raunchy fantasy. Lu was surprised and relieved to find that she wasn't the only one in a strange outfit seeing as a couple of girl dressed up in plastic bloody nurse costumes were sliding down a pole. Every light in the club was orange and helped give it the hellish aspect the decorators were probably going for. A heavy guitar riff shredded through the speakers and a female voice started to sing as Yang kept moving past the people surrounding her in hopes to find the one man she had been meaning to see.

Abruptly there was a gun shot and the whole club went from exulted screams to frightened shrieks. Yang's head snapped towards the direction which everyone fled from. A bald, sickeningly pale man held a gun in each hand and had an expression that suggested he was in no mood for games.

"Who ever wants to live... LEAVE!" That short instruction was all that was needed for every punk in the room to start rushing past the man and out the entrance.

The band who'd just made it on stage started to pack back up as a group of men with their own guns began shooting at the bald man and his crew. There were more screams and before long the only things to be heard were gun shots and cries. Yang had made her way up the stairs to the second floor of the club where the owners lounge was located. She knew that was the most probable place the man she was looking for would be. Sure enough just as she reached the top of the stairs the man stared back at her with an exasperated look on his face. His tall hair instantly gave him away. Yang smiled widely behind her mask and dashed forward towards the man as he made a run for the door leading to the lounge. Just as he stepped in Yang entered as well, a hand swiftly pulling out the katana sheathed and clutched to her back. The long and sharp silver blade was placed inches from the man's neck as the girl stepped forward.

Mohawk instantly realized he wouldn't be able to reach the gun that laid in the second left hand drawer of his boss's desk. The guy raised his hands to show he'd retreated from the fight and would collaborate. Little did he know Yang had no intention of sparing him. There was a dense silence in the room as bullets flied on the bottom floor.

"Listen just tell Penguin we're back on." The man stuttered as his back hit a wall and Yang stepped ever closer.

"Penguin, huh?" She said more to herself than the shaking person in front of her before she broke out into a string of laughter and reeled back letting out a happy sigh.

"I'm not here because of Penguin." She looked straight at the man's brown eyes and stepped closer yet so that her masked features were inches from his face.

"I'm here just for you, honey."

"Back off stripper!" Another female voice ordered from behind Yang.

The girl watched as the man's face broke into a satisfied smile and Lu slowly turned to face the voice, keeping the blade at the guy's throat. Standing just a few steps from her was a woman with bright white hair, black lips, raggedy net stockings and a handgun pointed to her face.

"Oh, come on. I just wanna kill this guy. Is that too much to ask?" Yang lulled her head to the side as she cooed to the lady who smiled back at her.

"Not gonna happen tuts. Now why don't you step away before I put a bullet in that big ol' metal mouth of yours."

"Yoo-hoo." A man called out giddily. The woman turned around and was greeted with her own threat being completed. The three people left standing stared at the blown out face laying in unrecognizable pieces on the floor. Yang couldn't help but giggle at the irony of it all, causing the man in the three-piece suit to look at her with deep set brows.

"What goes around, eh?" The girl added with an enthusiastic voice as she shrugged and nodded to the guy with the gun then to her intended victim.

"Yeah... Whatever." Oswald answered the woman who stood in between him and the man he wanted to kill.

"Which reminds me." She looked back to the Mohawk and opened her mouth to say something when Oswald interrupted her.

"Listen, girl..."

Yang rolled her eyes and just barely turned her face to Oswald as he took a step forward. She quickly pulled out a smaller knife and spun it around her fingers before directing it to Penguin's head. The man scoffed as he rose his gun to the girl's head.

"You're bringing knives to a gun fight?"

There was utter silence as the Mohawk watched the two criminals quarrel over who would kill him. Seeing that the girl wasn't going to back down Oswald decided upon a different approach.

"Why don't we be civilized about this?" He showed his palms in a sign of peace although the gun continued tucked in his right hand.

"You let me kill him and I'll cover you. How's that sound?"

"Cover me?" Yang finally spoke up in a curious tone.

"Mhmm." Oswald hummed as he nodded with a grin.

"Who wouldn't like to be under the protection of Gotham's king?"

Yang slowly lowered her throwing knife as the man spoke and intently listened to his offer.

"Not only that but I have people who can teach you how to use an actual gun." He snickered a little as he said the last part and Lu cocked her head a bit to show her discontent for the joke.

The girl tucked the smaller knife back into her belt but kept the katana at the other man's neck. She suddenly turned to look at him again.

"You know why I'm here for you?" She questioned with a sweet tone and the man just barely shook his head to avoid grazing against the live blade inches from him.

"It's so sad how they never remember." Yang shook her head as well showing disappointment.

"I don't usually do this but since we've found ourselves in a bit of an uncanny situation here I'll tell you." Yang casually spoke to the man pressed against the wall as she pointed with her thumb over her shoulder to Oswald who watched the scene before him unravel with a certain level of interest.

At first he was going to simply feign a deal with the girl just to kill her as well as soon as she put the sword down but after hearing the word "usually" he actually wondered how good she was.

"I want to kill him because he raped a 14 year old who happened to get involved with the wrong group of friends." Yang stared at the man she spoke about with ease as if the tense subject didn't quite affect her psyche and simply turned to Oswald.

"What about you?"

"He..." Oswald shook his head and sighed.

"Disrespected me."

"So you're here for revenge?" Yang made the man's reason sound as frivolous as possible with the tone she took.

"Aren't you?" Oswald snapped back, offended.

"I didn't know the girl." The young woman chuckled as she lightly shook her head. Oswald stared at her with intrigue.

"I'm..." The girl gracefully placed the tips of her fingers on her chest.

"simply dishing out some just deserts."

Apparently she considered herself some type of bringer of justice. What really confused him though was how she didn't seem keen to kill him as well. She obviously knew who he was and probably had heard what he'd done as well but her need for justice didn't seem to reach him. Before Oswald could even reply Victor came rushing into the room.

"Cops are coming!" He announced breathlessly before a grunt drew both his and Oswald's attention to the girl standing over the man who's throat gushed out a seemingly endless amount of dark rouge liquid as she sheathed the bloody sword in the sling on her back.

Oswald eyed the girl irritably but the girl only cocked her head to him before dashing past the two men. They were smart enough to follow the girl as she rushed around the narrow balcony of the second floor but had to halt when she suddenly jumped over the protection, gripping onto the rails as she dangled above the bar's counter top then let go as she abruptly slammed her feet on it. For a second Oswald thought she'd taken that path specifically to lose them but when she stared back up at him and clicked her tongue he understood she was actually trying to help them out.

"Crunch time, boys." The girl pressed the men to make a decision.

The man looked over to Victor who shrugged and followed the girl's lead. Oswald threw a leg over the metal and clutched onto the railing. He hung for a moment and suddenly let go, landing on the metal counter. The man growled at the pain that shocked through the already painful ankle he dealt with but pushed it aside as he heard the police sirens' wailing in the distance. The girl lead them to the back door she'd come in through and soon enough the three were outside. They caught their breath for less than a second before Zsasz was rushing away from the scene. Oswald watched him leave and turned to the girl, prepared to ask why she'd not only spared him but helped him escape only to find she was already climbing up the stairs of a building. Oswald took the hint and started to flee from the club as well. The Penguin cursed at himself for having handed his phone to Gabe instead of keeping it in his coat and thought of how he was too far from Ed's place to walk. In fact his ankle hurt too much to walk at all. Oswald figured the best thing to do now was hide himself in the gutter allies and lay low until the police was out of the area.

Yang watched the cop cars start to arrive at the club from the top of the building she'd climbed and giggled at their timing. The girl started to run and suddenly leaped to the following building just as Oswald hobbled under her. She rolled onto the other rooftop but returned to the edge to watch the man for a minute. Lu was the type to believe in destiny. To her, meeting Oswald was more than just a coincidence it was a presage. He'd literally walked into her life helping her already. That was one of the main reasons she'd helped him leave before the police could get to him. It was the principal; he'd helped her, even if he didn't mean to, and so she helped him. To do what she did Yang needed every bit of good karma she could. The girl's green eyes narrowed as she thought about the man she'd just killed. She was finally getting things sorted out. And now that her schedule was in check again she was ready to take on some new tasks.


	6. Chapter 6

**ʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪs ᴋᴇʏ**

ʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ғɪɴᴅ; ɪᴛ's sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ. - ᴊᴀɴᴀ ᴋɪɴɢsғᴏʀᴅ

•••

 **T** here was a tinkering of pans in the quiet little apartment.

The sun had just started to peek out from behind the buildings and spilled over the white walls. Lu was already going about her morning routine as her pink slippers slid on the light wood floor. The girl whipped the batter in the baby blue bowl tucked between her hip and left arm. Her bedhead fell over her shoulders and face like a waterfall but she could still see the familiar face on the news. A woman announced that it was day 27 of the manhunt for Oswald Cobblepot as a picture of the man was shown on the screen. Yin's eyebrows arched a bit and she almost felt bad for the crime-lord. The fact that the first she'd seen him personally he was eager to kill a man over dumb revenge aided in lessening her pity.

Lu wasn't an explicit part of the criminal underworld of Gotham but she knew enough to not get in over her head. For her to choose her targets just right a certain amount of gossip needed to be heard here and there. She needed to know the house brands, the big names, what they did and who they did it to, only then could she balance out how much of a reckoning they needed. The girl recalled the first time she'd heard Oswald's name. A couple of guys were drinking at a high-end nightclub as they laughed about how a lowly umbrella boy had tried to overrun Fish Mooney herself. Lu had taken the information as just another one of the casual conversations that went on moments before she was slicing through the ones who had just been speaking. It was only a few months later when the whole city turned upside down and the big boss had that same name that she realized how sly the man actually was. Although he'd been very helpful to her in that particular situation at the Rat Pack didn't mean he was exempt from the wheel of life. The girl had begun to lose herself in her thoughts when she recalled the batter she was whisking. The girl returned to her homely duties with a small smile as she poured a small amount of the batter onto the skillet. Soon enough the scent of pancakes was dancing through the entire apartment as Lu hummed casually. The girl was in the preparation stage. She needed these moments of silent reminiscing before acting. Making a deliciously sweet and homemade breakfast was the gateway to her memories of how it all started. The start of her enlightenment and the first time she took matters into her own hands rather than sitting around waiting for every little piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

•••

 **E** ven in the cold autumn air Lucinda could still feel the heat of the blood emanating from her knee. It was bright and wet and somehow hurt less than her heart which was beating so rapidly she thought she'd combust. Lu could still hear the girls' laughter at her back. It was the type of giggle that enticed one of two things; suicide or murder, and Lucinda Yin wasn't the type for either. Perhaps that was her flaw in the first place. Maybe it was her passivity that made her stick out in a world of people clawing at each other. Whatever it truly was that excluded her from the norm it had gotten her the violent attention of the school's notorious girl gang. They were gorgeous little devils that thrived around the weak and the introverts. Unfortunately for Yin she was both. And growing up with a "hippie caravan", as the girls had nicknamed her parent's lifestyle, was just the kick start they needed to turn 15 year old Lucinda's life into a living hell.

"Where are you going flowerchild?" A redhead cooed to Lu as she followed her limping body.

Lucinda didn't answer as the other girls chuckled and tittered at the title she'd been given since the beginning of their antics.

Abruptly Lu felt a sharp pain at her back as another of the girls threw a pebble at her.

"Hey, flowerchild, she asked you a question."

"I-I'm going home." She answered shakily.

"Oh, well you're going the wrong way; the forest is over that way."

Another shower of giggles came rushing into Lucinda's ears like daggers and she internally evaluated if feeling more pain in her knee was worth getting away from their taunting. Lu thought about just how close she to home and decided to take the risk of tripping and getting beat up to the torture of hearing the girls' incessant jokes. Without warning she took off into the grove to her left and in less than an instant heard the group behind her follow with shouting and cursing.

Lucinda's blood roared at her ears and the frigid wind whipped at the exposed flesh of her knee mercilessly. She was shorter than the other, she was much less athletic and she had the disadvantage of being hurt; now that she was being chased like a rabbit by hounds Lucinda realized how impulsive her decision had truly been. Nonetheless she kept running. She had to at least try to beat the odds. But apparently the odds don't favor fools. Lu concluded that as her ankle twisted on a root of a tree and she fell face forward. She scrambled to her feet but it was too late already. Lucinda felt a sharp nails trail her scalp as one of the girls took a fistful of her hair.

"Did you think you would outrun us, flowerchild?" The leader of pack, a brunette with large doe eyes that looked much too innocent for such a vicious girl, asked with a maleficent grin.

Lu simply stared back, too scared to make a sound. She shriek however when the girl roughly shook her head and pushed her down.

"I asked you a question, you fucking hippie freak!" The girl shouted into Lu's face as tears started to stream down her flushed cheeks.

The other girl arrived with stifled laughter as they took in the scene ahead.

"Oh my god, she looks like she's going to piss herself." One of them commented through a string of giggles.

Their leader smiled at them before lifting a fist and striking Lucinda's face. Lu instantly cried out at the girl's knuckles connected to her cheekbone. The impact split the delicate skin of the inside of her mouth instantly flooding her taste buds with the metallic twang of blood. As the girl yanked her head by her hair again to face her Lucinda drooled out the crimson spit helplessly.

"Ew, don't fucking slobber on me."

"Gross, she probably has rabies." The redhead laughed as all the girls stepped back.

"Just leave her there." The other suggested to Lucinda's delight and the other brunette agreed with a nod as she stood from Lu.

"Let's go." The leader ordered as she smiled down at Lucinda.

Lu could only watch as they left her in the midst of the wet dirt and crumpled orange leaves with tears and blood staining her body.

It was nearly evening when she got home. It had only been a few months since Lu had moved in with her uncle and she hadn't done anything worth a scolding yet but she had a feeling that today would be the first. In the distance she could make out his dark hair contrasting with the pale cobblestone of the house. It's stature had impressed Lucinda the first time she saw and she expected to be greeted by at least four children along with their parents, instead she found that the only ones inhabiting the home that could only be described as a mansion was her uncle along with a couple of old and loyal housekeepers and cooks. It was a very strange thing to the girl who had grown around a lively group of people and she wondered why her father had ended up so different from his older brother.

The girl walked up the stairs awkwardly, her knee still painful and with a bruise on the apple of her right cheek which was decorated with her dried up blood.

"What's all this?" The man asked as he stood from the bench he leisurely sat on.

"Some girls at school." Lu didn't bother lying about it; it was both an advantage and a disadvantage to have a doctor as your guardian.

"And how did it work out for them?" The man asked with a comforting smile as he took Lucinda's backpack as she sighed.

"They got some good laughs." The young girl sulked as she sat on the bench and her uncle was previously on and looks down at her bloody knee.

"You mean you didn't get them back?" He asked a bit disappointed.

"Karma will hit 'em harder than I ever could." Lu shook her head and hissed a bit as she touched the scrapped flesh on her knee.

The man never really agreed with his sibling live-and-let-live lifestyle. How could he when everything he'd ever had he worked for... and even then he'd lost so much.

"Sure, karma's got this... But why don't we just speed up the process a little?" He smiled to Lu with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"What do you mean?"

"Most times, Lu, you gotta make things happen or they never will."

•••

 **E** d didn't know exactly why he was trying. He didn't actually think that he had a chance of breaking out Oswald from one of the most heavily secured prisons in Gotham... did he? Honestly he didn't know what he was thinking. All he knew is that he was knee deep in folders and files about Arkham Asylum. Every detail, study, newspaper and record involving the place was circled around his feet and the man felt like he was getting sucked into the never-ending papers regarding the prison like someone stuck in quicksand. Ed suddenly slammed a folder shut with one hand and sighed as he shook his head.

"This is ridiculous." He muttered under his breath, tired and annoyed by the extreme secrecy that everything involving Arkham carried with it. Ed looked around the distraught state he'd left the archive room and then to the clock on the wall. It was nearly one in the morning. One in the morning and Nygma was going over files to free his friend. Was it dedication? Or was it the need to impress him; to show his mentor that he had a promising career in the dark path he'd chosen. Either way Ed was determined to find something, at least a thread to follow up on. Nonetheless that would most likely have to wait till tomorrow, now he needed to organize the files back into their places.

It took him almost as long to put everything back in their places as it took to find them but when only two boxes were left Ed needed to take a breather. He hated not being able to get to the bottom of things. It was a type of insult. An insult to his intellect and there was no greater insult to Ed than an insult of his mental capacity. He huffed irritably as he slid a folder off of the desk his back reclined on. Looking at the vanilla file he grunted and flipped it open.

"Why be so secretive about a prison full of loonies?" His voice expressed his utter distaste for the place as he flicked through a group of papers with a list of staff.

Ed had just closed the file when a detail caught his eye, making him scramble to open it again. He found the page and frantically skimmed through the lines to try and spot the word again. When Ed read the name in front of him he nearly fell back as a gasp escaped him instantly.

Anthony Yin, Sector B, Psychologist.

Nygma blinked at the page for a moment as shocked grin crept on his face. There could only be so many people in Gotham with that last name. It was rare to say the least. That man had to be related to Lucinda somehow. Instantly Ed turned to the computer at his back and began to type away the name.

"Dr. Yin, Psychology, Arkham."

Upon clicking the search button a series of articles on the doctor showed up on the screen causing Ed's grin to grow into a full on smile. He had the bit of thread he needed. And it was called Lucinda Yin. He knew that all he had to do was reach out to her and she would surely receive him for she was much like he once was; a fool for love. He clicked an article with a picture of the man and a so called Dr. Hugo Strange as he read the headline;

Psychiatric Division of Arkham Asylum Receives New Head and Staff

Ed leaned back as a sinister chuckle echoed in the empty room. He erased the search history of the computer and finished putting away the last boxes with a gleeful expression. As Ed left the precinct he smiled and hummed a giddy tune to himself. Tomorrow he would visit Lucinda at the GCU. He wondered if he should give her flowers or simply invite her for coffee. The man shrugged at the realization that anything he said would be sufficient. The drive home was calm and Ed yawned as he reached the metal door to his loft. His keys jingled a bit as he shuffled to find the correct one. As soon as he slid the door open all he could see was black as he immediately fell unconscious.

Nygma was confused and sore when he finally awoke. He was conscious but still very dazed. The last memory he had was opening the door to his apartment and a violent pang at his face. Wherever he was now was dark and cold and definitely not his loft. Ed tried to stand but instead ended up crashing face first onto the floor. He realized his arms and feet had been tied up and connected. A slight panic started to wash over him as his breath started to become erratic.

"Help!" He shouted out into the darkness.

No response came and he started to become more flustered than initially.

"Help! Someone! Help me!" Nygma started to yelp at the top of his lungs. Nothing but absolute silence answered him and he began heaving and blubbering as a fear he'd never felt before started to wrap him.

Suddenly a door was opened and a familiar silhouette shadowed upon the glossy wooden floor. As the mysterious person walked in, an easing vintage tune drifted into the room.

"He's only human, if he's to be had I must have that man." A giddy voice sang along and Ed's brows furrowed upon recognizing it.

"Ms. Yin, let me go this instance!" Nygma demanded and the female ahead of him giggled.

"I can't do that Mr. Nygma."

Ed didn't respond as the girl turned on the lights revealing the contents of the room. It was large and spacious with mirrors on every wall. It seemed to be some type of personal training room but Ed suspected the girl had other intentions for the space.

"I can't let you go because I have unfinished business with you, honey."

"What are you talking about!" Nygma snapped back at her and she jumped a bit at his harsh tone before frowning angrily.

"That!" The girl yelled back with her brows knitted and a scowl on her plump lips. Ed understood just how annoyed she was and accepted the fact that Lu was once again in control of the situation.

"I haven't been fair Nygma. I've taken it upon myself to deliver Gotham the karma it deserves yet my fondness for you stopped me from doing the same to you." She stared deep into his eyes as she reached to her side and unsheathed her katana. Ed watched her unsure of her thoughts and actually feared the look on her face.

"Yang. What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to put the balance back into things, Mr. Nygma." Lu raised the blade as she shook her head.

Nygma scurried about on the floor as the girl went behind him.

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait!" He begged repeatedly as he squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the sting that would come soon. Instead of that his feet were released and he snapped his head back to look at the girl, flabbergast.

"You're not going to kill me?"

Lu just made an unamused face at him and Nygma closed his gaping mouth.

"Well then in that case..." Ed started to speak but suddenly was punched so hard his lip started to bleed.

"What are..." Ed spat the blood that flooded his mouth and started back at the girl flabbergast. Yin smiled back at him before punching him again, this time hard enough to knock him out.

Yang looked down to his limp body, shaking the hand she'd hit him with a bit and sighed before she began dragging him to the other room hidden inside the dojo. The girl looked sorry and determined simultaneously like a mother who has to hold down her screaming child so that the doctor can give him a shot. She took Nygma towards a hook that hung at the back of the room and draped the rope that held his arms up on it after much struggle to hold up the man who was much taller than her.

Lu couldn't help but stare at the man ahead of her. His slender body was lazily hanging and his head lulled to one side. She observed how toned his long arms were in that position above his head. His eyes were slightly covered by his messy hair and Yang smiled a bit as she watched him. Her heart was beating rapidly and her hands trembled a bit at the thought of being utterly alone with Nygma. Not to mention the fact that he was tied up and she could do as she pleased with him. Her eyes snaked down his body and imagined what was under the pants and moss green sweater. The girl's cheeks started to emanate heat as dirty visions teased her. The man grunted as he woke up again and Lu blinked back the feverish ideas and focused on Ed.

"Wake up Eddie." The girl said softly as she stepped up to him.

He looked up to the hook that held him up and noticed his toes just barely touched the floor.

"What do you want?" He asked in a distressed voice, looking forward with a menacing face.

Lu carefully took his glasses off and smiled at his angered face.

"Just relax." She tried to coax him as she placed his glasses on a metal foldable chair that sat in the corner. She returned just as calmly and pulled out the small knifes tucked on her hips. His eyes followed the sharp blades anxiously and watched as she expertly maneuvered it in her hand.

"My darling Eddie." The girl started.

"I need you to understand that I'm going to hurt you now not because I want to but because I must."

"No! No you don't! I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings but I was just being honest."

"I understand. I really do. But that still doesn't mean that it didn't hurt. I was nice and sweet and caring and you were just plain mean."

Ed shuffled a bit more as his eyes went from the girl to the blade to the hook above him.

"And as much as this pains me I gotta deliver your karma too, honey."

"No. No. No. Lucinda listen; come here."

The girl's brows furrowed in curiosity and she stepped closer. Ed nodded with a breathy smile.

"Yeah, come here." He repeated and she went closer.

When she was inches from his chest Edward suddenly pushed his knee into the girl's gut causing her to grunt out in pain and stumble back.

"I'll kill you for this ." He promised with a vicious tone.

Lu looked up at him with a different type of expression. A dark grin riddled her lips as she walked up to him menacingly.

"Let's see who kills who."


	7. Chapter 7

**ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ sɪɢʜᴛ, ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴍɪɴᴅ**

ɪᴛ's ᴀ ʟɪᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʜᴇᴀʟs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ʜᴇᴀʟ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴄᴀʀs ᴛʜɪɴɢs. ʙᴜᴛ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛs ᴄᴜᴛ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴsᴛᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ sᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ... ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ɪᴛ ғᴇsᴛᴇʀ.

•••

 **E** dward gasped as his eyes shot open suddenly. His chest was heaving as he stared up at a ceiling. Slowly he noticed the soft mattress at his back. There was a soft yellow glow bouncing off the familiarities of his apartment. The man sighed a bit calmer once he realized he was home and shut his eyes once more to recollect himself. Ed moved to sit up and suddenly a dashing pain shot through his body and he hissed. His eyes trailed down his chest to notice he was shirtless and just under his ribs was a thick layer of gauze. He instantly recalled what had happened the previous night as a scowl formed on his lips. That insolent girl beat the crap out of him. He recalled the first few moments as her fists connected to his jaw, each blow precise and painful, but when the girl actually pulled out the small blades he was already starting to faint. Ed stared down at how Lu had patched him up. He recalled the fact that she was a doctor after all and scoffed at the irony. Suddenly his mouth felt very dry and he felt very cold. He bet he looked as terrible as he felt. Ed grunted a bit as he moved his legs to the edge of the bed and stood. He heaved in a long breath and licked his lips with an irritated expression as he thought of how childish of Lucinda to beat him up simply for having rejected her. The man slowly made his way to the kitchen. Ed went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of water then headed over to a cabinet for one of the beakers he used as cups. He poured the cold water and immediately started to gulp it down. He repeated the process after finishing the drink as he walked over to the countertop. Ed placed the pitcher down on the countertop and tossed his head back as he finished his second cup of water. He was about to pour himself another cup when he noticed a plate covered in a thin pink cloth. He didn't own anything like that and neither had he left any plates out yesterday so it was only natural for him to be utterly curious. He already knew it was Lucinda's doing, since she was obviously the one who had brought him home last night but he wanted do know what else the girl had done while he was passed out. Just as he pulled the cloth off the plate a sweet smell wafted up. Ed blinked a few times as he saw the lightly colored macaroons sitting in front of him. He furrowed his brows before noticing a small little card tucked just below the porcelain plate. He reached out to pick up another of Lucinda's infamous letters. This time, however, the letter wasn't written in Heather's cursive handwriting but rather it was typewritten. One side read was simply written LU and turned it over to find a small message.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you. I love you."

Ed rolled his eyes before looking down to the pastries and taking one. Tasting the sweetness of the treat he arched his brows and lightly tilted his head to the side.

"Not bad."

At that same moment a knock came at the metal door and Ed's eyes shot to the source of the sound. He wasn't expecting anyone and did he want any company given the state he was in. Nonetheless the man sighed and headed over to see who it was. Ed quietly looked out the small glass hole on the door. He gasped and nearly fell back when he saw who it was. Immediately he opened the door and stood motionless as the man standing in front of him smiled.

"Hello friend." Oswald hesitantly said as he took in Ed's banged up state.

"Mr. Penguin?" Ed was perplexed.

The smaller man frowned a bit but blinked it away and shook his head before looking up at Ed again.

"Please, call me Oswald."

Ed closed his dropped jaw and nodded.

"Yes, Oswald. Uh… Come in." He motioned towards his apartment and Oswald smiled again as he limped inside the home.

Ed moved towards the door and looked left and right before closing and locking the entrance. When he turned back to his friend he found Oswald looking around the place. Somehow the man looked different.

"Mr. Peng- I mean, Oswald, um…" The man hesitated as the smaller guy looked at him patiently.

"Yes?"

"How… did you… escape?"

Suddenly Oswald giggled and waved a hand in front of him.

"Oh, I didn't." He smiled and reached into the same raggedy coat Ed had seen him in the day he was captured.

Ed eyed him up and down a bit confused by the strange manner the man was acting but set on not commenting it at all. He watched as Oswald pulled out a piece of paper with a wide smile.

"I completed my treatment." He stared back at Nygma before shrugging happily.

"I'm sane." He laughed again.

Ed couldn't tell if his friend was being sarcastic and frankly was at a loss for words. Luckily he was spared having to reply by Oswald's next comment.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's happened to you?" The dark haired man cocked his head to the side as he observed the patch on Ed's torso.

Nygma took a deep breath and smiled as he exhaled.

" _This_ was that person I asked you take care of for me."

Suddenly Oswald looked very sad. Ed noticed instantly and was more confused than before as he watched the man walk a little farther from him.

"I… I've changed, my friend." Owsald started simply and suddenly turned to Ed.

"I've repented of my old ways. I hope to keep my past in the past." Oswald's eyes seemed very sorrowful as he said the words and Ed could barely make out a word.

This was nothing like the Oswald he knew, or the little he did.

"What do you mean?" He asked for clarity while walking towards the man.

Oswald tittered and sighed.

"I'm leaving the criminal world… for good. I've come here to tell you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me."

Ed stopped dead in his tracks and simply stared at the guy in front of him with a blank expression.

"Don't worry though, we can continue friends." He added quickly as he shook his head and smiled at Ed awkwardly.

"I'm not worried." Ed lied and walked past the man he had hoped to be his mentor. Oswald's gaze followed him as he took the pitcher of water he'd left out and opened the fridge to put it away.

"You should be though. Does Jim know you've been released?"

Oswald's brows ticked upon hearing the detective's name.

"Jim is no longer a friend of mine." He responded resentfully.

Nygma closed the door of the fridge and turned questioningly to the man ahead of him.

"Really? Why so?"

"Let's just say he was cowardly towards me…" Oswald sighed and looked down before returning his gaze to Ed.

"Secrets are a vile thing, Ed."

Ed raised his eyebrows for a second as he made a face. He could relate to that. If it wasn't for his own secrets he wouldn't be involved with Yin and therefor he wouldn't have been kidnapped, beaten and stabbed.

"Don't I know it?" He finally replied as he looked to the side defeated.

"And let me tell you, old friend, the darkest secrets are always from the past." Oswald nodded sadly and Ed turned to look at him again. His friend's words had triggered an idea.

"Oh, may I have one?" Oswald pointed to the sweets on the plate besides them and Ed snapped back from his thoughts.

"Huh, oh, yes, help yourself." He brought the plate closer and the little note that still lay on the countertop caught his eye again. He smiled devilishly and took another of the treats.

•••

 **T** he cardiovascular team had just been called into the ER. Lucinda went along the long hallways of the hospital along with five other doctors all clad in blue surgical suits. Apparently there had just been a bad car crash nearby and there was going to be many surgeries happening at the GCU Hospital that night. The girl was calm and objective as always. She knew exactly what she needed to do and she was set on doing it.

"Where the hell's the CV unit!" One of the doctors pressing down on a bloody patient cried out.

"Right here." One of the cardiothoracic surgeons answered as he looked to the woman who had just yelled to assure her that matters were being taken care of.

Lucinda headed over to take a look at the body on the mat as the doctor went on explaining the technical details of the wound.

"We got a left scapular arterial injury, following foreign body and shock trauma." A group of doctors started to take the man deeper into the hospital and Yin listened to the woman's report carefully.

"Estimate of blood loss; two liters." The doctor looked to Yin and seemed surprised to see the cardiologist in the ER.

Lucinda usually stayed as far away from the ER as possible yet that night one of the CT surgeons were too far out to make it in time.

"Strange seeing you here, Lu."

The guy went by Lucinda and instantly the girl's eyes went wide. She could feel her heart pumping double time and all of her detached demeanor went out the window as she observed the young man's features.

"Yeah, yeah, finish up, I don't have all night." Yin ordered and the woman speaking was shocked by quiet Lu Yin suddenly speaking with such authority.

"Uh...Tourniquet time; less than five." The lady said and Lu sped off after the man in a rush.

"Quickly, quickly, let's go people!" Lu went off as she led the team of specialists down the hall.

The doctors left in the ER all looked at each other shocked at the young cardiologist's sudden outburst.

"Was that Yin?" The doctor who'd taken the orders from Lu asked still flabbergast by the whole situation.

One of the younger doctors looked at each other before switching their gaze to their older colleague intently.

"Didn't you see that guys face?" A doctor with bright pink cheeks asked as if the reason for Lu's dismay was obvious.

"What?" The older doctor questioned, more confused than ever.

The other doctors barely knew Lucinda at all outside of work. The few who knew anything about her were the younger doctors who'd heard stories from people who studied at GCU when Lucinda first started her residency. In fact it was the only story they ever heard regarding the strange girl's past.

"What about that guy? Is he related to Dr. Yin?" The lady asked again as she looked to the two in front of her.

The female doctor looked to her friend before returning her gaze to the one questioning her and lightly shook her head.

"He looks like Nathan." The male doctor answered quite vaguely as he made a sorry face.

•••

 **E** d had tried to get up and get dressed but the stinging in his side was still too much for him to go to work with. Nygma ended up calling in sick and spending the afternoon in. He had eaten all of the macaroons, although he cursed Lu every time he took another, and was now avidly flipping through the yellow pages. The idea that had popped into his head during Oswald's visit had kept him busy throughout the day. Ed had all the steps of the plan set out in his mind and he knew exactly how he was going to get back at Lucinda.

"She's got quite some nerve leaving me in this state." Ed hissed as he read through the ads and numbers. Suddenly his eyes twinkled as he found the information he was looking for.

The man took the phone from the small table besides the green sofa he sat on and dialed the number with a dark smirk on his face.

"You think you're cunning Yin? I'll show you cunning."

A couple of hours later Ed had forced himself out of his apartment and into his car. As hurt as he might be he was still very determined to repay Lu for the pain he felt. Only Ed was a man of mentality. Any pain he submitted people to would me psychological and he had just the right idea when it came to Lu. She was the type of person who lived off of an ideal. Lucinda needed to have everything in her life a certain way for things to work. All Ed needed to do was push one of the dominoes down and the whole picture would crumble into a disorderly mess and he was well aware of the pain that would cause the girl.

The parking lot of the GCU hospital had become a familiar place for Ed and he even knew exactly where Lu would have her blush pink Cadillac parked. Nygma got out of the car and the cold wind sent a shiver down his spine. He rubbed his arms through the fabric of his chestnut brown coat and walked over to the girl's car. Ed sat on the hood of the car, crossing his legs in front of him to wait a bit more comfortably. He smiled and twitched like a goof as he waited for the girl's shift to end. It wasn't long though before she spotted her figure in the distance. She wore light washed jeans and a white sweater and equally white sneakers that contrasted aesthetically with her hazel skin and hickory colored locks. It was impossible to deny that the girl was indeed a sight to be seen, although the scowl on her lips was an opposing force to her gentle beauty. Ed sat up straight a little and watched as the girl swung on a beige trench coat and started towards her car. She was still quite far away when she caught sight of Ed's long figure leaning on her car. Instantly a smile crossed her burning red lips and Ed felt his heart skip a beat; the thrill of what he was about to do taking him to smile in return.

Slowly Lu reached the man who waited for her and stood in front of him with the same childish smile.

"Hello, Yin." Ed spoke first as he looked down at the girl.

"Lu. You can call me Lu." She responded and Ed had to keep himself from laughing in her face.

She truly thought that this meeting was something romantic. He wanted to call her a fool but it would be more fun to string her along for a few minutes.

"Are you, um... Are you ok?"

Ed smile wryly and raised his eyes brows as he hovered a hand over his wound.

"You got me pretty good there."

Lucinda looked down with a slightly embarrassed smile. Her heart fluttered from speaking to Ed. He was the only person who knew about Yang and the thrill of knowing the things he'd done as well made her feel like they were so much closer. She listened as Ed went on.

"But it's not like its 8 bullet holes, right?"

The girl's head snapped up as she looked into the man's dark eyes. An evil gleam flickered in his gaze as Lucinda stared back at him wide eyed.

"What did you say?" Her voice cracked a bit and Ed opened up a grin that could only be described as diabolical.

"You know, Lu..." He said the girl's nickname so slyly Lucinda wished he was still calling her by her last name instead.

"8 bullet holes." He repeated as the color drained from Lu's face.

"Like Nathan..."

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice overlapped Ed's as her eyes started to water and her fists curled causing her nails to bite into her palm.

Ed's smile slowly disappeared as he took a dangerous step closer to the small girl, his stature towering over her own petit form.

"You think this is torture? Huh?"

Lucinda didn't answer; she was too preoccupied fighting back her tears as the memories flooded into her mind. She could see the whole thing play out in the back of her head.

 _"Come on, Lu." Nathan's voice was always so bright and playful. It was a wonder how he kept true in his attempts to conquer someone so different from him. Lu just looked up to him blankly but he kept his charismatic smirk and lulled his head to the side as he started speaking again._

 _"I don't wanna say it'll be the best party of your life but..." He looked back to Lu and made a serious face._

 _"There's going to be a jukebox." His grin returned with all its intensity._

" _Will you go with me?"_

Lucinda's mind seemed to be crumbling as she stared at Ed while the visions of her past were overexposed on the reality of the man ahead of her.

"Does it hurt you to remember him?" Ed asked sadistically.

"No." She said ambiguously to both Ed and Nathan.

"What would Nathan think of you now, huh, Lu? Killing people, maiming others."

The taunting tune that echoed in Lu's mind whenever the boy was mentioned started to reel in her mind. She saw flashes of Nathan smiling, dancing with her, speaking enthusiastically as they walked down the streets of Gotham. Then in a twisted glitch of her mind she saw the dark figure shooting him and the boy's blood gushing on her hands. She heard her own screams, Nathan's labored breathing and the ambulances wailing. Her mind became a twister of dark memories that bled into the sights in front of her and confused her with sounds and images that mingled with the real and tore away at what was truly in front of her.

Ed watched as the girl started to become unsteady; her pupils shaking and her once bright lips ghostly pale. His grin slowly dispersed as a look of worry crossed Ed's face.

"Hey." He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and suddenly she snapped out of it.

He instantly pulled his hand back and looked at the girl's dazed expression. She stared back at Ed with a vulnerability that the man almost pitied and for a second there was a different feeling between the two. That was instantly killed off as Lucinda lifted one hand to pull Ed down to her eye level by his shirt. He gripped her wrist and looked dead serious into her green pupils.

"That wasn't even half of what I'm going to put you through if you ever do anything like what you did yesterday to me again."

Yin could sense that he meant it. She let go of his shirt and looked to the side as Ed smoothened the mint green fabric she'd wrinkled. He stood up straighter and Lu gave him a vicious glare from the corner of her eye to which Ed simply arched his brows. She stepped back and the young man started to go towards his car. Yin felt her blood boil. She was aggravated at Nygma's cruelty but she knew it was simply her own karma coming for her. She knew that she didn't need to stab him but she was rash and childish and having him helpless there in front of her was too much for her to resist.

It wasn't simple to maintain the balance in things. But even if Ed had been harsh in her punishment she knew it was that kind of contrast that would help always keep her in check. However Lu hadn't expected the man to be so clever as to his methods. She watched him walk about before suddenly stopping and looking back to her with a grin.

"Say hi to uncle Tony for me won't you."

Lu's green eyes grew even wider in rage. She didn't waste another minute. The girl got into her car and slammed the door close, screeching away a few seconds later. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her mind scolded her for having reveled her identity to Nygma. Ed got into his own car and watched Lucinda angrily leave. He couldn't help but let out a hearty chuckle at how he had gotten the upper hand. But something was different now. He didn't see Lucinda as a nuisance rather she was starting to become a sort of practice test for his abilities.


	8. Chapter 8

[ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ ]

Hey guys! So I recently got over 100 views and I'm so happy to know that so many of you are enjoying this story. Ok now for a little DC history lesson:

For those of you who watched the Batman animated series I don't know if you remember but there was a character called Ellen Yin, who is believed to have become commissioner of the GCPD after Gordon (so like that's many, many years after any of the events currently going on in Gotham). I just recently found out and I almost had a heart attack of how happy I was lol. Seeing as Gotham is mostly an origin series I've decided to loosely relate Lu Yin to Ellen Yin, since Ellen Yin moves to Gotham from Metropolis. I thought it would just make the story a little more similar to the actual show but it's not important to this fic per se.

On another note this chapter took me a while to plan out since it's sort of like the second act of the fic so expect some big plot points to start developing here on out.

Thanks for reading my ramblings & enjoy the story.

* * *

 **ᴛᴡᴏ ʙɪʀᴅs, ᴏɴᴇ sᴛᴏɴᴇ**

ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ. - ʟᴀɴᴀ ᴅᴇʟ ʀᴇʏ

 **A Few Weeks Later**

 **T** he crisp sound of papers flipping was muffled by the beeping of machines and the low roar of people talking all at once. Lucinda had spent most of life in that sort of ambiance; the cold walls, the glistening floor always either stark white or splashed with vivid red, the discreet murmuring of patients and their visitors. She had decided to become a doctor after the incident with the bird long before she even knew who uncle Tony was. It was only when she spoke to her mother about her plans of studying at an actual school that her parents had decided to send the teenager to Gotham to live with the psychiatrist.

It was a completely different lifestyle to that which she had led with her parents. Not to mention that her new guardian's mentality was a far cry from her father's own teachings. The only thing that connected the brothers was their last name. Lu had been taken aback at first. Anthony Yin's looks did nothing to announce his nature; he was tall with dark hair and carried a look of severity in his features that utterly dispersed as soon as he opened his mouth. He was full of advice, smiles and the cheesiest puns you could imagine. It sometimes baffled Yin that her giddy uncle Tony had once been a deeply depressed man. She arrived to Gotham five years after the doctor lost his family. The divorce had been rough on the man. Sometimes Lu thought if he saw her as a second chance. Either way he'd been more of a father to her than her own ever was. As Lucinda looked up from the clipboard and saw the head of the cardiology department coming towards her and she stood up straight.

The older man was the very definition of elegance. The way he carried herself was smooth and refined in its lightness; Yin often compared it to an animated film so effortlessly swaying although he was as stubborn as a mule. Back when Lucinda was an intern she had hated the man; he was too serious, too direct and especially too negative. Lucinda had the personality of a child. She was spontaneous and volatile and utterly emotional all behind a calm exterior. For that reason Lu preferred people who took to the more human side of things. She liked those who reached out to her, coaxed her into revealing her true self and convinced her to trust the new environment she was in until she was confident enough to express her uncanny nature. Dr. Green didn't appeal to any of those requirements. Nonetheless the doctor was one of Lucinda's closer acquaintances in the hospital. He was pretty cold himself but seemed to enjoy how delicate the girl could be. Dr. Green listened to the little which Lu had to say and it was due to his robotic way of teaching that Lucinda had become the professional person she was.

"Yin." The man looked down to the girl with that ever-blank expression and she returned the gaze just as blandly.

"Yes, Dr. Green?"

"Do you have a minute?" He looked to the papers in the girl's hands as he asked and Lucinda nodded lightly.

"Um.. yeah. Sure." She put the clipboard onto the white countertop where a nurse went through a couple of manila folders hectically.

The two walked into Dr. Green's office and the man formally gestured to the chair in front of his desk. The girl followed the instruction and patiently sat as she looked down to her hands. The doctor took his seat on the other side of the mahogany furniture and Lu looked up again with a smile almost too small to notice.

"So Lucinda…" Green suddenly started to speak as he folded his hands and hunched forward a bit.

"What do you plan on doing now that you've completed the fellowship?"

Lucinda's brows arched down a bit and the girl suddenly grew very curious as to what this conversation was really about.

"I'm thinking of applying to Arkham or Blackgate."

The doctor nodded while looking down and Lu's face twisted while the man wasn't looking. When he looked back up she was as peaceful as ever.

"I think you should think about it a little more, Yin. I know that maybe your uncle influenced you to choose such paths..."

This time Lucinda shuffled in her seat a little and tried not to roll her eyes as the man spoke.

"But correctional medicine is nowhere near your potential."

Lucinda didn't answer. Her green pupils stared back at the man. He sighed and sat back up, rubbing his forehead that followed back into the middle of his bald head.

"Someone with surgical skills like yours shouldn't squander such a gift."

"I'm sorry Dr. Green." The girl apologized although she couldn't care less about the man's opinion.

"Still if you're absolutely set in working close to law enforcement…" He twiddled his hand as if to casually mock the idea though the tone in his voice as he spoke the last few words was all one needed to understand he didn't find it an important field. In Gotham, who could blame him?

"There's an opening for an M.E over at the GCPD. If you need any references I'll help you out."

Lucinda's eyes grew wide upon hearing the news. She frantically fought the laugh that bubbled in her chest. It was as if the universe was rewarding her for having punished Ed. She thought that because of what she'd done to him they were going to part ways, even more after the horrible prank he played on her. But it seemed they truly were bound by some ironic twist of fate.

Dr. Green watched her reaction and shrugged a little.

"I still don't think that's hardly fitting for you but it sure as heck beats working with criminals."

Lu was on the verge of bursting into a string of chuckles. If he only knew of the criminals that worked there.

The girl nodded slightly and looked down for a second. The reality of the proposition still hadn't dawned on her. Of course it couldn't be a mere coincidence that their paths had wound up again but Nygma had made it obvious that he didn't want any more games with her. Admittedly their relationship was unhealthy to say the least, if one could even consider those brisk meetings filled with extortion and mauling a relationship. It was disgustingly simple though; she wanted his attention and she most definitely had gotten it but the whole situation backfired and instead of growing fonder of her Ed had actually developed a type of antagonism towards Lu.

The girl looked up to the doctor again and smiled sweetly.

"I'll think about it."

•••

 **T** he scent of coffee and eggs drifted around the café. The place had an old-fashioned feel to it. It stood elegantly in the midst of the city with its lampposts on either side of the entrance and the large arched black windows that added to the cozy feeling inside. The café had a soft orange glow in its interior that eased you as soon as you stepped in. There were always a great number of people sitting around the many tables. It was one of the reasons why Ed loved the place. He could hear all types of conversations while he sipped on his drink and observed the scenery lightheartedly.

In the past he'd tried to strike up a conversation with a few of the fellow customers though naturally they would always either stop talking suddenly while giving Ed looks both confused and annoyed or ignored him completely. That wasn't to say that the young man liked the coffee shop any less.

Watching Harvey look so clueless as to who had truly killed Pinkney had left Ed smiling and giddy the whole afternoon and so he decided to pay his special place a visit. The atmosphere was still as comforting as always and it brought a smile to Ed's face. After ordering a bagel and the usual macchiato the forensic scientist sat back and did something he rarely did; relax. Ed was always so high-strung. He was aware of it and though it had decreased significantly since his acceptance of his whole self it was still present. Whether it was the slight jittering in his fingers or his eyes that wouldn't stop noticing every detail of everything, it was there. The most common form of expression had been the fidgeting in his legs. That had caused him to develop a calming mechanism where he slid his hands up and down his thighs. It was awkward and peculiar and it had become second nature to Nygma. The tick lessened a bit whenever he was there though and it was one of the reasons why he loved the café.

The jingling that the bell above the door made was muffled by the variety of voices that spoke and laughed and so Ed hadn't even paid attention to it at all. He thought about how he'd considered taking Fae there. In the end he was glad he didn't. He was glad that psycho girl had killed Fae before he experienced Kringle all over again.

 _Kris Kringle_. The name still made him smile and Ed was surprised to discover how those initial feeling had nearly all disappeared. It wasn't that he didn't care about what Kristin had been in his life but rather he was glad she hadn't become a permanent part of it. He was aware that she'd been a weakness; a weakness that he overcame. Ed had thought long and hard about Kringle's death and his final statement was that if he hadn't killed her she would have killed him. There was two halves of him at war when he met the woman and in the short period they'd been together she'd almost expelled one of them for good. That would have been the true tragedy; to continue living with only half of himself. Who was Edward Nygma if he wasn't both his sides?

"Well look who it is." A woman from behind the counter smiled as she announced to the man behind her who was pouring coffee into a round mug.

Instantly Ed's head snapped over to the counter as he noticed the now familiar syrup colored locks wildly flowing down the bantam frame. Ed watched intently as the girl spoke to the woman who pulled out a white box for her. At first he thought that Lucinda had followed him again but as the girl kept talking to the lady who smiled friendly at the younger female he realized that she was actually their for affairs of her own.

Given the way the woman had addressed Lucinda she was acquainted to her. Ed hadn't seen the doctor in weeks and though he hadn't truly forgotten her he wasn't too eager to meet up with her anytime soon. But now that she was just a few feet away he found it extremely hard to simply stay put. He wanted to go over to the girl and find out how she knew the owners of his favorite café and question why he'd never seen her there before. Instead he kept quiet and stalked her from his table.

As Ed's brown eyes took in every detail ahead he noticed how Lu looked different. The last few times he'd seen her she was either in scrubs or almost completely hidden by shadows. The only other times were when he was too furious to care what she was wearing. But now as he observed the girls attire he recognized how classy she was. She had on a tawny turtleneck sweater, black pants and oxfords and a beige knee length coat. The girl looked chic and reserved and not at all like a serial killer. In fact she didn't look like the childish person she truly was at the least.

Ed sized her relentlessly as she slowly placed a hand on the box and opened it to reveal a variety of doughnuts. She let out a giggle and Ed shook his head at the how eccentric her looks and her personality were together, although he couldn't help but smile. When he noticed her closing the box and turning around he ducked his head and looked in the opposite direction. It was hardly necessary since Lucinda hadn't noticed the man's presence at all. Upon hearing the bell ringing once more as the girl left Nygma looked out the window to continue following her route. She opened the door to that pink coupe deville that looked like something straight out of an old Hollywood movie and Ed watched her back up and drive off.

Something in him was curious about Lu. As much as he had hated her for making a fool of him in the beginning he was still impressed by her wits. Not only that but she'd gone out of her way to create a riddle for him; granted it was a more of a sadistic scavenger hunt but nonetheless it took some thought. Ed thought about what he'd just seen; watching her charming young doctor façade while knowing what she was capable of was indeed enticing. However he was pretty sure he'd scared her enough for the girl to never want to see him again. And Ed wasn't about to start running after love again.

•••

 **T** here were books sprawled over every part of the spacious room. The large round glass door had been shed of its long cream curtains so that the golden hue that radiated outside spilled into the house and illuminated the man who sat comfortably on a brown leather recliner.

His shiny brown dress shoes rested upon a coffee table ahead of him as his face was covered by a thick old book he held up. The only sound was the man's nonchalant whistling and the flipping of pages. Lucinda heard the telltale signs of her uncle's afternoon reading sessions and a small smile spread over her lips. The girl quieted her pace and the maid who walked alongside her smiled.

The people in that house were the only ones with whom Lu interacted naturally with. Of course they too were spared the more gruesome activities the girl partook in but at least she could speak her mind around them. The woman besides her for example, Mrs. Harrison, had known Lucinda since the day she arrived to Gotham and was one of the few people who truly cared for her.

The older woman walked forward as Lu hid slightly behind the wall that separated the hallway from the library.

"Mr. Yin, you have a visitor, sir." Mrs. Harrison smiled as Anthony placed his feet down and sat up.

Lucinda stepped forward upon that announcement and laughed a bit as her uncle's face lit up.

"Well, if it isn't little Lulu?" He playfully teased Lucinda with the nickname and stood to walk over to the girl.

Lucinda made her way into the room, careful to avoid the towers of books that sprouted from the floor.

"How've you been uncle Tony?" The girl asked sweetly and the man lightly rolled his eyes with a grin.

"Working, reading, I did some work on the garden; you know, old man stuff."

Lucinda giggled at her uncle's humor and looked down while shaking her head a bit and recalling the box of doughnuts she held.

"Oh, guess who I saw today." She looked up with a happy expression and her uncle pointed at the box.

"Annie?"

Lucinda nodded eagerly and the man shook his head as he flailed his hands and dropped them to his sides.

"Why'd she have leave, huh? Remember how nice it was when she worked here?" The man recalled the woman from earlier years and Lucinda giggled.

"Come on, uncle Tony, she's got quite the clientele over at the café. You should be proud of her." The girl lightly scolded her uncle and he nodded with a scowl.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but those used to be just for us." He nodded towards the box Lucinda held and suddenly pointed towards Mrs. Harrison who stood smiling at the familiar's banter.

"Mrs. Harrison, could you fix us up some coffee to have with these?"

"Right away, sir." The woman nodded and walked out of the library room.

Lucinda sat on a couch that faced the recliner her uncle was on and placed the white box over the coffee table as Anthony roughly wiped the surface.

"Oh, before I forget; you're brother finally got hitched to that girl."

"Really?" Yin smiled lightly amused by the news.

"Yup, the two moved to Metropolis."

"Huh, all the best to them."

Anthony nodded and gestured with his hands outwardly.

"So to what do I owe the visit, kiddo?"

Lucinda shuffled out of her coat as she watched the man take his seat and smile.

"I just finished my fellowship a few days ago." She responded and her uncle raised his brows.

"Good for you, Lulu. So are you still going to apply for Blackgate?"

"That's actually why I'm here. I wanted your advice on that."

The man sat up straighter and looked at the girl more intently.

"Dr. Green says I'd be undervalued over at Blackgate. Do you think that's true?"

Anthony tilted his head to the side as if to agree and Lucinda captured the gesture instantly.

"I don't know, Lu, what do you feel?"

Lucinda knew what her uncle was doing. It was a psychiatrist's mentality to answer a question with another question. She looked to the side and licked her lips a little before returning her gaze to the man.

"Come on uncle Tony. I'm not a patient; straight answers."

The man chuckled a bit and nodded to the girl he considered his daughter.

"I think he's right. Take it from someone who's been in correctional medicine for years; it's more tiring than rewarding."

Lu pressed her lips together into a tightlipped smile and nodded.

"Thought so." She stopped for a minute and looked to her uncle.

"He says there's an opening for an M.E over that the G.C.P.D."

"Much better, Lulu, trust me." The man grinned as Mrs. Harrison walked in with a silver tray bringing in the scent of coffee beans and sugar.

Lucinda looked up to the lady and smiled.

"You'll be working with the cops, Lu? That's a bit dangerous" The woman seemed concerned about the young lady and Lu smiled.

"I can manage." She thought of the much more dangerous situations she's been in and suddenly recalled one of her recent adventures.

"Speaking of which, I heard about Cobblepot. How's that working out?" The girl helped Mrs. Harrison as she briefly glanced at her uncle.

"Didn't you hear? He was released. Apparently he's a clean slate." Mr. Yin looked impressed as he shared the old new with his niece.

"Really?" Lucinda couldn't even be bothered to hide the skepticism that wrapped around her tone.

Her uncle nodded as he took a tea cup and held it up as Mrs. Harrison poured the dark liquid.

"I'd love to know how that happened." The girl chuckled as if to mock the doctors who actually believed they had cured the criminal.

"I didn't personally work with him though. Peabody followed up with him along with Dr. Strange."

"I see?" Lucinda took her own cup up to her lips as she tried to normalize her reactions to the statements.

"Yeah, they were trying out a new method. Seems it worked. He was let out last week; two different people, Lu." The man shared as he opened the box on the table and took one of the beautifully decorated treats.

"Do you really think he's changed?" She looked to her uncle as she placed her cup onto her lap and cocked a brow.

The man shrugged as he bit into the pastry.

"Strange checked him out himself." He mumbled and mentioned the man's name as a sort of assurance. Lu didn't buy it.

"I'll believe it when I see it." She said quite seriously but caused her uncle to fall into a fit of laughter.

•••

 **G** urneys rolled by as paramedics picked up their first aids and dashed by.

"Where the hell is Green?" The medical director of the GCU hospital yelled out at one of the staff members who held a phone in his hand.

"He's already home, sir." The man waved the phone and the director gave the doctor a cynical look while shaking his head.

"Well tell him to come back." The boss made a tantalizing voice while replying and the man in scrubs lightly shook his head.

"Dr. Burns, he lives practically outside of Gotham, he's not going to make it in time."

"Well what cardiologists do we have on duty goddammit?"

The staff was about to respond when Dr. Burns cut him off with an answer to his own question.

"Where's Yin? Call Yin."

"Sir, she's not his cardio-"

"Well his cardiologist is a prick who lives in a secluded neighborhood." The man snapped back and walked away uninterested in anything else the doctor had to say.

A few minutes later Lu was in the ambulance rushing towards one of Dr. Green's patient's home. They had a made an emergency house call and though Lucinda wasn't involved with the man's previous treatments she had been specifically ordered to tend to him. The girl knew that Green would get a scolding for it so she did her best to stay quiet as the paramedics sitting in the ambulance talked about how irresponsible of him it was to not be able to attend one of his personal patients in an emergency.

When they reached the man's estate they were greeted by two siblings at the doorstep.

"Make way. Make way!" The main crew ordered as they sped by with a gurney and the brother and sister watched anxiously.

"Right this way." An elegantly dressed woman directed Lucinda and the others to a warm room where a man laid on the floor while another younger one held him in his arms.

Lucinda's eyes grew wide when she saw just who was holding the patient. There on the rug was none other than Oswald Cobblepot himself. Though this man seemed entirely unlike the one Yin had meet that night at the Rat Pack. The girl had to push aside her curiosity and simply do her job for the time being.

Lucinda knelt down besides Oswald and took the man's head from his hands, gently placing it on the floor.

"Step aside." Yin ordered as she placed a hand on the sobbing young man's chest to push him away from the area she would need to work in.

"I need the defibrillator, quick." The girl's voice was crystal clear and authoritative as she was promptly handed the machine.

She quickly turned on the machine as another doctor opened the man's suit jacket to expose his chest. The doctor moved out of the way as soon as he'd done son and Lu took over by performing CPR on the body lying on the floor.

"It's ready." The other doctor announced, referring to the AED machine and Lucinda stopped her ministrations to swiftly reach for the electrode pads.

The girl placed each pad in its designated area and waited a few seconds.

"Clear." The male doctor said and Lucinda shocked the man for the first time.

She observed his reaction as well as the others in the room and a few seconds later came the man's voice again.

"Clear."

Again the patient's body jolted forward but there was no sign of reanimation. Lucinda looked over to the doctor who aided her and he shook his head as if to say there was nothing left to do.

There was absolute silence for a moment as Lu looked at her watch.

"Time of death: eleven fifty two."

Suddenly Oswald burst into a fit of tears.

"No! No! He can't be dead!" The man rushed forward to hold the lifeless body and Lu simply fell back.

Lucinda couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only was she completely flabbergast by the way that she was encountering the crime lord again under such circumstances but also the way the man was behaving was nothing like she recalled.

"Oswald, dear. Please." The woman who had directed them to the patient walked forward and attempted to place a hand on the young man's shoulder although she seemed to change her mind at the last minute.

Everyone watched as he gripped onto the body and Lucinda knew she had to do something.

"Oswald. Sir." The doctor put her hand over Oswald's and he looked up to her suddenly.

His blue eyes were rimmed with tears that streamed down his cheeks. He looked so vulnerable; an entirely different being from the man who blew that gangster's brains out the other night. Some people would love to see him in that state; on his knees, teary face and utterly helpless. But Lucinda didn't have a flair for evil. In fact she didn't even believe it existed. To her life was all just a merry-go-round. And if this was happening to Oswald it was because he deserved it in a sense.

Nonetheless she needed to get the body to the coroner as soon as possible and the only way to do so would be by helping him to accept that the man he desperately tried to hold onto was gone.

"Oswald, I'm sorry. He's left us."

He stared at the girl then suddenly let go of the man. He huddled besides the one of the seats as the rest of the paramedic team took the body away.

Afterwards Lucinda had to fill out some paperwork regarding the procedure she'd performed and details on the patient. She considered asking the woman who she assumed to be the patient's spouse but she was so closely huddled with her children that you discarded the idea. They didn't seem to be mourning though. It was more of a hushed meeting of sorts.

Lu looked to the opposite side of the room and noticed Oswald sniffling while he stared into the abyss. She was afraid that he'd recognize her voice or something like that but still her curiosity as to how real that whole nice act was proved to be greater than her fear of being discovered.

Slowly Lu started to walk over towards Oswald although he didn't even notice; being in the detached state he was.

"Oswald, may I speak to you for a minute?" Lu's voice snapped him out of his trance and he looked up at her a bit confused.

His nose and eyes were red though his lips were visibly paler than usual and he carried a strange look in his eyes. It lacked the intensity that she had first been presented with. Whoever stood in front of Lucinda now was a mere hologram of The Penguin.

"I'm sorry to have to bother you but I need to fill out these documents."

"Oh, of course, what do you need?" His response was so mild-mannered that Lu was tempted to tell him who she was and how they'd met before just to see how real the whole thing was. Instead she followed through with the act.

"Uh…What was your father's condition?"

"He said he had a hole in his heart. But tha-that was it. He was fine. Then all of a sudden..." His voice started to croak as he began to panic and Lu intervened, convinced that this wasn't an act.

"Ok, ok. So he had a hole in his heart. Oswald, listen." Lucinda was starting to panic herself because of the man's instability.

"I'm guessing he had a ventricular septal defect. It's common for people born with a VSD to have heart failures."

Oswald nodded and looked down again as he heard the doctor explain the fatality wit technical detail.

"But it's not common for them to foam at the mouth due to it. Sometimes it could be related to a pulmonary oedema, but..." The girl shook her head and looked to the side, making sure that the other people in the room weren't listening to their conversation.

"If I were you I'd keep an eye on your new... family."

"What?" Suddenly the young man looked up and stared with wide eyes, astonish by what Lucinda was implying.

"I'm going to ask them to run a full tox screen, ok. In the meantime… you… take care of yourself." The girl said the last part awkwardly. She felt like an acquaintance even if that version of Oswald was far from the one she'd met and even so the former criminal wouldn't dream that the girl in the black latex and body armor was the same one as the shy doctor in front of him.

Oswald didn't answer. He simply stared at the doctor staggered by her ability to make such an accusation with that much ease. Lucinda felt how horrified he was by the mere thought of what she'd proposed and decided to leave before she said anything that might shock him even more.

One thing was certain; Lucinda was absolutely sure that whatever had happened in Arkham was not mere psychiatry. She could feel the demons just under the surface of Oswald's calm exterior. In fact he wasn't calm at all. He was frightened. Something had scared him enough to create that trembling mess of a person. In a way he reminded Lu of a younger version of her. The first few years after Nathan's death had been spent in that exact same way; afraid of the world, afraid of herself.

But as Lu watched Oswald she was sure that soon that whole thing would fall to shambles. For Lucinda it was the moment she saw Nathan's killer walking into the hospital, begging to be treated. She'd helped the man and then after he's signed out and was making his way down a street, a street similar to the one he'd killed Nathan on, Lucinda murdered him. That was the first time but it certainly wasn't the last.

And that's why Lu knew that Cobblepot's time was coming; because that's how things worked. Because people can be cheated and undervalued and taunted and shunned but there would come a time when they would get the chance to be on top. There would be a deciding factor that would snap the ropes holding back the darkness and when it did…oh, when it did, all hell would break loose.


	9. Chapter 9

**ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴛʜᴀᴍ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ**

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴜɴ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʜɪᴅᴇ; ᴛʜɪs sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴘʜʀᴀsᴇ ɪs ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴘɪᴛᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴇɴʟɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴍᴇɴᴛ. ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ғᴀᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀsᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀsᴄᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ʙᴇɢɪɴ.

 **H** er feet dangled over the edge of the roof she sat on.  
The familiar chill in Lu's spine caused from the lack of warm material mingled with the heat that her blood created by rushing through her veins. Lu looked down at the pub from the other side of the street. It was dark and noisy on that side of the city but it sent a thrill through the girl's muscles that she wouldn't trade for anything.  
It was funny to her; when she was at home, snuggled in a thick blanket and sprawling on the couch it was the only place she wanted to be. Because she didn't have to worry about anything; she could be herself. But the same could be said when she was out in the cold, dark and smoggy parts of Gotham. When she was in that uncomfortable suit and her fingers yearned to pull out her sword she also felt at home.  
The entrance of the pub propped open and a tall blonde man walked out with a shotgun slung over his shoulder and a glass cup in his hand.  
Lu pulled her legs in and lied down, trying her best to hide the large samurai helmet she wore. She'd thought about inconvenient it was at times but she wore it for the reason that the ancient warriors did; to frighten the enemy. Lucinda wasn't all that tall and in many occasions her latex and metal get up actually got her confused for some dominatrix rather than a killer so the only thing that still freaked her victims was the strange headgear she sported.  
The girl watched with sharp vision as the man swallowed the clear liquid in his cup and bent down to place it near the wall beside him. She used that moment of distraction to maneuver her way down the wall of the building she was stalking him from. She stealthily dashed towards the edge of the building as she pulled the small daggers tucked in the belt on her waist. Suddenly she threw her body over the building and dangled from the ledge until her footing was ready. She then slid down the wall, her daggers grinding against the cement and making a ruckus that was drowned out by the pounding of the music and chatter coming from the bar.  
The girl stared out from the darkness of the ally timing her arrival just right. She still needed to keep her identity known to a minimum amount of people; ideally only those she intended to kill and die to recent events, Ed.  
Some time went by and the man who guarded the noisy pub didn't seem to leave anytime soon causing Lu to become impatient. After realizing that he wasn't going in any time soon and being as impatient as she was, Lu simply walked forward.  
The man looked her way and a perplexed smile pulled along his lips. He eyed the girl's body, defined by the tight black suit she wore and only noticed that she had ill intentions when he saw her nimble fingers playfully spinning a black bladed dagger in her hand. The man tugged on the sling, making his gun swing forward but as soon as he held onto the weapon a sharp pain was already rushing over his arm. He looked down to see the dagger that was formerly in Lu's hand lodged in his wrist.  
He looked up to the girl again to see her happily coming closer. He quickly pulled the blade out of his flesh and an unbelievable amount of blood started to gush out just as Lucinda had expected. She knew the man wouldn't know that she'd just punctured his radial artery and that by pulling out the blade he'd actually be signing his own death sentence.  
She suddenly started to walk faster as she pulled out her katana and the man stared down at the amount of blood that was flowing out of his limb. While he was preoccupied by the pain in his arm Lu swiftly dug the tip of her blade into the man's chest, making sure to slice his heart and pulled it out just as fast. The tall man instantly fell to his knees and Lucinda stood in front of him, watching him bleed out with not even the slightest bit of remorse. After she was sure he was gone she sheathed her weapon, stepped forward and opened the door to the pub.  
The inside managed to be worse than outside; with a thick layer of smoke and a commotion so great no one even noticed the strange female walking into the bar. Lucinda used the darkness of the place to make her way to a more secluded corner. A couple of women kissing near the bar stumbled across her and Lucinda moved out of their way as she stepped into a hallway where a couple of guys spoke in hushed whispers about a ship coming in at the docks with a supply. Lu looked around to get an idea of the layout of the club and understand a better way to get into the room that was heavily guarded.

She may have gotten into the place easily but that was one guy, not five guys with chrome guns. Lu turned back around and mixed with the crowd that danced, drank and talked loudly on the disorganized dance floor. She noticed that there were tall glass tubes that a circled around the stage. Women and a couple of men danced inside the tubes as if they were on display as strobe and laser lights lashed their attractive bodies, bringing even more attention to them. The girl noticed a man that carried a long black gun walking up to one of the tubes and opening it. The girl who was in nothing more than a skimpy huntress type of costume and a plastic bow and arrow smiled and was led down the stage towards the guarded room that Lu deducted was the boss's private quarters. Lucinda quickly rushed through the place and guaranteed the empty tube for herself.

The girl wasn't exactly a dancer but she knew enough to seduce a drunken bouncer, that and her suit could easily grab anyone's attention. She stepped into the wide glass pipe and a different type of music started to play. She felt her chest thumping from the strong bass that bumped through the speakers as she swerved her hips and tried her best to keep her katana behind her. Perhaps the people dancing below wouldn't recognize a real sword when they saw one but a professional assassin certainly would and Lu had a hunch that the giants that chose the next entertainer to amuse their boss were just that.

The music actually did its job of diverting Lu and before she knew it she was actually enjoying herself. It was as if whatever she was about to do wasn't a duty anymore; it was fun. The way the girl coiled her body to the beat soon managed to get one of the guard's attention and she noticed him walking up to her from the other side of the pub. Lu was glad that her mask covered her sly smirk. Soon a different guard was opening the tube and shooting her an enticing smile as he took her hand and helped her down from the stage before carefully escorting her to the door he was formerly stationed at. He opened the large black door and Lu bowed as if she was a ninja to make the outfit more convincing and the guy chuckled at her. She walked in and was amazed to see that there was another version on the party outside happening inside the room. What separated the VIP room was the number of half-naked men and women and the amount of drugs everywhere you looked. Lu was a doctor but you didn't have to be one to know that the quantity of white powder in that room was enough to kill a crowd. She instantly recalled why she was there in the first place.

The Russian mafia had recently closed a deal with some providers that sold them the purest of heroin. Every high-class addict in Gotham was shoveling over thousands to the Bratva and Lu had gotten word of it.

After killing a dirty M.E for sweeping an obvious gang hit under the rug she noticed a peculiar tattoo on the man's chest; a virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. Lucinda had a rough knowledge on the meaning of certain gang tattoos from her previous jobs and knew that it was a Russian marking. She looked deeper into it and apparently it stood for a brother who would never rat his comrades. The man didn't say a word but his need to hide the Russians recent strikes was enough to get her snooping.

A couple of days later Lu knew that heroin was the name of the game and what a game it was; according to word of mouth the drug was coming in by the pounds and that only made her more determined to find the source. The girl had initially thought that the numbers she heard were exaggerations but now that she was actually in one of the gang's headquarters and the dust they snorted by the plateful was all in front of her she was sure the information was no joke.

Luckily for her everyone in the room was either completely entranced by the drug or suffering the sting of the after effects. She walked close to the edges of the place to call as little attention as possible but it was pretty difficult with the outfit she modeled.

Suddenly a man eyed her from the other side of the room and Lu knew she was in for some unnecessary trouble. The man walked up to her, sliding a hand over his slick chocolate locks. He was wearing more gold on one hand than Lu had in her entire vanity.

"Hey, _devotchka_ , big boss is in here; I'm sure he'd like to see you."

The girl's green eyes grew wide as she heard the phrase. Lu had gone to The Castle expecting a sub boss who would squeal if pressed enough. From there on out she'd trace the place where they kept the stock and spill some more blood. But this was completely unexpected. She wasn't a stripper and she wasn't about to stoop so low simply to get away with her life. But still, she'd already killed that bouncer out of impulse and her rule of thumb was her core rule. As she was lead to an even more reclusive room all she could do was think of how freeing it would be to show what she could truly do without having to answer to a night-per-capita moral code.

The boss's headquarters was spacious and dark but neon signs bathed the room in red light. The man showed her in then left just as quickly. The room had about 5 men sat around desks counting the largest sum of money Lu had ever seen in one place. A large man sat behind the desk placed in the center of the room and Lucinda presumed that was the so called "big boss". He'd just finish snorting a row that was neatly cut on the glass surface ahead of him and looked up to see Lucinda standing there.

"Wow." He grinned and slid his finger over the glass to pick up the remnants of the powder which he rubbed on his gums.

"Come over here, bunny."

Lu would have slashed the man then and there if it wasn't for the other guys around him. Instead she walked forward cautiously as the man watched her with a hungry expression. He suddenly raised a hand and the girl stopped. The boss stood and Lu was actually a little scared by the size of the man. He had dark hair and his bright blue eyes were so clear they reflected more of the red light in the room and made him look like the devil incarnated. The other guys in the room paid no attention to their chief's actions and simply went on counting the seemingly endless wads of cash. Lucinda could make out the gun on the man's waist and tried to think of how she would make it out of this one alive.

Before she even had anytime to rationalize a plan the man was sliding his hands over her body. Lucinda bit her bottom lip hard to keep from doing anything to the man. She had to leave and she knew that there would only be limited ways to do that without losing her dignity. Just as these things flashed through her mind the boss pulled Lucinda back and leaned on the edge of his desk before roughly turning the girl around. At first she didn't understand why but after he slammed his crotch onto her and started to grind she caught on.

Lucinda saw red. She raised her hands; one was on the man's face distracting him while the other reached for the grip of her katana. The man took one of Lucinda's fingers in his mouth and started to suck on the latex that covered it. The girl scoffed and pulled out her sword.

"There's no way in hell."

The blade came out slashing the man's chest and neck due to the difference of his size compared to Yin's. The guy started coughing blood as he stammered something indistinguishable. All the other men in the room looked back to the girl holding the bloody sword and their boss's jugular squirting the dark liquid all over the fur carpet he was laying on.

Lucinda grew stiff. She raised her finger as if trying to calm the men.

"I didn't mean to do that…" She shrugged and cocked her head.

"Well not tonight anyway."

In less than a second all five men were pulling out their guns and Yin was replying by tossing a handful of small blades in a row. Two men dropped their guns and started screaming at the metal edges lodged in their eye. The three other guys started shooting and Lu began giggling as a defense mechanism since she was actually too scared to think. A bullet grazed her arm and the girl shrieked in pain. The sudden throbbing in her flesh snapped her back to reality and she came back twice as fierce. The girl ducked and flipped back the desk the man she'd killed had been sitting at. There were more gunshots and Lucinda tried to concentrate on the years of martial arts and other mental training she'd put herself through.

She took a deep breath and isolated the sound of the gun clicking in one of the men's hand. Just as he pressed the trigger and another bullet came out flying Lucinda raised her katana and the bullet ricocheted and continued to glide through the side of another guy's head. The girl raised her head to see if her little stunt had worked. Upon noticing that the man who was beside him was still looking down to his friend Lucinda jumped back out from behind the desk and sliced his neck in an instant.

There was still another guy shooting in her direction but he had just gone out of bullets. Lucinda couldn't help but giggle at his shit luck. She flung her sword at the man and watched as it pierced perfectly past his ribcage and out the other side. One of the guys who had had their eye perforated managed to grab a hold of the gun he'd dropped and shot towards Lucinda. However seeing with only one eye threw off his aim and he missed Lu completely. She dashed forward, pulled her weapon out of the man's chest and slashed the other guy's neck. She walked over to the other man she'd mauled and noticed he wasn't breathing anymore, apparently the shock of having his eye spilling out of its socket had given him a heart attack.

The girl looked for a way out of the room that wasn't the door from which she'd entered and noticed that there was a large black window behind the dead boss's desk. She sheathed her katana, walked over to it and propped the exit open. Suddenly there was roaring of people screaming as men speaking in Russian and English all together shouted commands.

Lu looked at the open window ahead of her and suddenly the door was smashed open. Her head snapped back to see more men coming after her with knives twice as thick as her katana and a couple of guns. It made her shake instantly as the adrenaline shot through her body. Her mind told her to get the hell out of there; she'd only ever went against thugs and sleazy john doe's and those men were 6 feet of trained assassins not to mention there were about 10 of them and one of her.

She felt her head thumping, screaming at her to leave, telling her that she was already deep enough in debt after killing all those men. She shook her head harshly as she squeezed her eyes shut. There it was again; that torturous voice in her head telling her that she had to make things right.

 _Balance, Lu. You have to have balance._

It was like an endless game and she never felt as if she was ever getting better at it. It was like a leash keeping her from unraveling the full ruin that she had the potential for. She'd always felt it, deep inside she knew that the incident with Nathan was merely an excuse. She'd seen an opportunity to reveal the darkness she'd always kept tucked under her childlike emotions and she grabbed onto it with both hands.

The thing was that in order to keep the excuse valid to herself her mind had morphed into a prison. There had been a set of rules that were burned into her brain and that administrated her every action with micro precision. It told her to not react with the complete vivacity that she truly wanted to, it ordered her to not speak the lively things that bounced around in her head simply because she had to keep herself in line. She couldn't show emotions in her daily life because she was already much too expressive during the night; when the darkness of the city twirled and merged with the darkness that seeped from inside of her.

But it was lonesome; to never be seen for whom she truly was. To have to avoid people all together because she knew that whatever relationship she built would be a shadow show; all just an elaborate game of pretend. That's why when she found out that Ed harbored the same obscurity in him she believed it to be fate.

She had thought that Nathan was her liberator; the one who helped her find the courage to do what she'd always wanted to. But in the end he'd only been a crack in the shell that kept her true self. The feelings she had merely dripped from the fracture his death had created but it hadn't set her free. She was still trying to be someone, something, she wasn't; a hero.

Lucinda had wanted to believe she was doing this because she'd been tragically awakened to the viciousness of the real world. She wanted to say that she'd lost the boy she loved and had turned bitter because of it but she was well aware that was a lie.

For starters she never loved Nathan. That was one of the hardest part of the lie she told herself. She had to create a feeling that never existed and this was supposedly the feeling that fueled her actions. For that reason she had invented an exaggerated version of the scene in her mind. She played it back every time she felt the dark telling her the truth. And so there was a confusing and painful war in her mind between the lie that told her that she was merely an antihero and the truth that wanted to reveal to her what her wild soul really wanted.

Even when she was younger she'd caught herself in small acts of opposition to the side of her that she tried to portray as her whole self. She wasn't innocent. She never had been. She always felt her parents' explanations as a feeble attempt to make her believe that the world worked in your favor. That's why she liked her uncle so much; because the first serious lesson he'd ever taught her was something she'd known or at least felt all along and that is that you got to make things happen.

It's all up to you. The world isn't going to be nice. The world isn't going to fix your problems. Whatever happens to you happened because you made it happen with your own actions.

Lucinda felt the sudden acceptance wash over her like acid rain and she opened her eyes again. All that had been processed in her mind in a fraction of a second and everything seemed to moving in slow motion. Her green eyes went down to the men she'd already slaughtered strewn across the floor. She looked back up to the gangsters rushing towards her and a wicked grin opened behind her mask. Lu pulled out her katana again and twirled the blade in preparation for the fight she was about to get into and the men suddenly realized she had a certain level of skill.

The girl cocked her head while looking to the guys in front of her with an electric feeling buzzing through her body as a sense of freedom she'd never felt before kept her from even slightly fearing the odds.

"Let's dance, you ditz."

•••

The warm fire crackled and danced behind Oswald as his eyes glimmered with that spark he thought he had lost. The scene ahead of him would be considered appalling to most people but it was currently the man's pride and joy. The remnants of his enemies before him was exactly the type of ego boost he needed after the embarrassing situations he'd put himself through recently. If anything, that phase of his had taught him that he would never be respected without the vicious ambition that defined his true personality. He was reborn, renewed and eager to take back his kingdom with claws and fangs.

"I was going to ask if you wanted help on getting rid of the ' _vandals_ ' but I see you beat me to the point."

Oswald jolted as he stood to see Lu's familiar figure standing at the door to the dining room. He huffed and sat back down. Yin walked around the dead body, observing the gashes the man before her had recently created. She let out an amused giggle as she noticed the severity, liveliness and number of lacerations on the woman's chest and neck then looked up to stare at the strange little man in front of her. She thought of how riveting it was when an unsuspected or unlikely person could also be the author of such damage. Oswald stared back at the girl, bloodied knife in one of his hands, a glass of wine in the other.

"Oh, so now you want to share?"

Yin forgot about the corpse and faced Oswald.

"Actually I was looking for a swap."

He raised an eyebrow at Lucinda and the girl walked up a bit.

"I was going to offer getting rid of the evil stepmother if that deal from the other night was still up but given the current circumstances I'm sure we can think of something else."

Oswald let out a sardonic laugh and reeled back as he looked at the girl who looked shambolic and elated all at once.

"And why would someone as… resourceful as you need protection?"

Lu paced around, waiting for the right words to form in her mind.

"Let's say I started a gang war."

"There's always been a gang war."

"Yeah but I struck a nerve."

Oswald seemed interested.

"Who?"

"The Bratva."

Oswald simply scoffed as he stared flabbergast at the girl.

"What did you do?" He nearly chuckled at what he was hearing.

"I heard there was some crazy numbers drifting around about their heroine supplies and accidentally killed, quote on quote, big boss at The Castle." She curled her index and middle fingers twice to demonstrate the quotation she spoke of.

The man sitting down closed his dropped jaw and raised a hand, as if asking for a moment to process what he'd just been told.

He knew The Castle; it was nearly as big as his former club, a fortress of cobblestone walls and crawling with men three times as big as the girl in front of him.

"You went to the Russian's point just because you didn't like the fact they were growing."

"I went to the Russian's point because I was trying to keep this city in order. But I'm done playing God."

He set the blade down on the table and grabbed one of the empty glasses he had set on the table earlier.

"Sit down, friend. Let's talk."

Yin didn't think twice. She pulled back a chair and reached out to hold onto the glass of wine as Oswald poured the rouge liquid for her.

"First off, who are you?"

This time Lu didn't answer. As a matter of fact she never had to worry about such a thing. The only other time she was asked to identify herself was when Ed met her for the first time. She'd said that silly little pun only so that he would instantly know she was the doctor he'd met earlier. What was the use of a fake name now anyways? She was tired of playing safe. She'd let her demons off their chains and they were just itching to play and they played rough.

"Fuck it." The girl shrugged and Oswald straightened his back as he watched with curiosity.

Now that she had just recently dirtied her katana with flesh and fluid and the smell of death swirled around her as she sat face to face with a killer of equal ranks she accepted the truth of her situation. She wasn't going to hide anymore. In fact she was going to face the reality of her choices for the first time in a long time. Lu took her hands to either side of her jaw. A clicking sound was followed by the clanking of the metal mask that she had over her lips coming off.

Oswald's blue eyes widened as he took in the sight of the female's entire face.

"You're the" He choked up, still flabbergast by the uncanny revelation.

"Yeah, I'm the doctor." She reached out for the glass of wine again and this time brought it to her lips. Before taking a sip she looked up from the red liquid to Oswald and introduced herself.

"Lucinda Yin."

The man glared at the girl who took gulped the wine and rested back on the chair she was sat on. He couldn't believe his eyes though somehow it wasn't a complete shock to him. Gotham was full of peculiar twists and tricksters; it seemed the city had a knack for creating the most efficient liars. Suddenly he recalled the question he had for the girl since the first time they met.

"Why'd you help me escape… at The Rat Pack?"

The girl looked at the bottom of her empty glass and smiled a little. Oswald took the hint and poured her a bit more of wine. She eased into the situation more with the alcohol coursing through her body and sighed.

"Back then… I was playing a game with myself; trying to be a savior, karma's right hand lady. If you'd asked me the same thing this morning I'd say something along the lines of 'you helped me with that lady and so it was only right that I helped you in return'."

"But…" Oswald caught onto the girl's train of thought and her piercing green pupil darted back to the man.

She grinned and slowly took off the helmet that held her hair up. Lu's wispy locks cascaded down in wonderfully disarranged patterns and she threw the gear to the ground. Oswald's gazed followed the headpiece as it crashed on the floor then returned to gaze at the girl smiling. It was a type of smile he was all too familiar to; in fact he'd been smiling that same way just recently. It was the type of smile you have when you realize something important, when you become independent of any internal restrictions and accept a truth you'd long known.

"But let's be real; I'm no hero."

Oswald quirked a brow as a grin of his own tugged on his lips.

"That's not even the true concept of karma." She trailed off as she nipped the drink again.

"I kept trying to keep this city at bay…" She looked into Oswald's eyes and cocked her head.

"Or at least that's what I told myself. Deep down… I knew I liked it; it wasn't any social deed. But I'm free now. I don't want to pretend like I want fix this place anymore… I would never have made it anyway."

The man squinted and fixed his gaze on Lucinda.

"What do you want Lucinda?"

The girl stopped for a minute, placing her glass on the table and looking down as if to discover what drove her now that her false idealistic thoughts were dead. Living by self-imposed rules for so long had accustomed her to believe that nearly everything was off limits but now that she'd tossed such regulations aside she felt entitled to all the things she'd missed.

Lu looked back up to Oswald and grinned.

"Everything."

•••

The morning sky was grey and the atmosphere was unfriendly but Lucinda had never felt so happy. She looked like she was walking on sunshine and a sweet expression graced her features. An unusually strong gust of cold wind rushed by causing Lucinda's red coat flap and the girl smiled at the prospect of what lied ahead of her that day.

Lu had felt lost after hearing that Ed had been imprisoned. The girl was still fond of him despite his animosity towards her. She had tried telling herself that he deserved it; that it was simply his long awaited karma but this new Yin couldn't care less about what he deserved, what drove her now was what she wanted. And she still wanted Nygma, perhaps now more than ever since she didn't have the need to be constantly confronting him just to uphold a moral standard.

She thought back to the previous night and drew in a satisfied breath as her black heels clicked on the pavement. Oswald had been more than accepting and Yin had liked the man's flexibility since the first time they'd met. It seemed that outcasts were good at befriending each other. And though Lu didn't take orders anymore she and the ex-mobster had talked over at least two bottles of wine, partly the reason for their quick connection, and found that a partnership between them would be beneficial in more ways than one.

"You know what the best thing about someone who want's everything, Lucinda?" She could still hear Oswald's voice reverberating in her mind.

"They'll do anything for it. I'll keep your image under wraps but you'll have to put it to good use"

"Oh goody, I got a job already." The girl had grinned as she joked with her new friend.

"Indeed, Dr. Yin."

It just so happened that Oswald's request intertwined in the best way with Lu's own wishes and so it was settled; Lucinda would be Oswald's inside person in Arkham.

After everything that Hugo had put him through it was only natural that once he was back to his normal self he'd want revenge on the psychiatrist. Lucinda wanted blood, no matter who's it was, and agreed instantly. The fact that she'd be closer to Ed only worked as a bonus.

Lucinda walked into the dark building already knowing exactly what to expect. From the countless years that her uncle had worked there he'd collected the wildest stories and Lucinda had ended up hearing each and every one of them with absolute interest. She took a look around taking in her surroundings; the breaches in security and other details that might be useful to Penguin.

"Lulu!" A familiar voice called out and the girl instantly spun around to her uncle walking up towards her.

He was in his lab coat and still held the pencil he was probably using recently due to the fact that an inmate was being taken from the same direction he was coming from. Lu smiled sweetly. He uncle had always been kind to her; she knew he didn't understand her, the few times she'd accidentally demonstrated her dark parts he'd been confused, but he never judged her and for that she respected him.

"Hey, Uncle Tony, how are you?" She stepped forward to meet with the man.

"I'm good. I'm so glad you're here." The man took a good look at the girl he considered a daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me take you to Dr. Strange."

Lu's ears pricked up at the name but she easily feigned a neutral reaction as she nodded.

"Sure."

Anthony led his niece to a section of the facility where a man in a suit stood beside a woman in a coat observing the prisoners.

"Dr. Strange." The man started as Lucinda followed after him.

The guy who'd been called turned and Lucinda made sure to capture every detail; the format of his beard, his round glasses, his impeccable suit. One thing was for sure; he didn't look like the type of person you'd expect to torture people.

"Ah, Mr. Yin." He opened up a smile that Lu would have realized was fake from a mile away, however her uncle wasn't so the type to see the cruelty in the world so easily.

"And you must be Lucinda."

The girl smiled falsely as well as she looked from the man to the woman looking down at her with a tightlipped smile.

"Yes, nice to meet you, Dr. Strange."

"Likewise, Mr. Yin…" He turned to the man and nodded.

"Thank you for introducing us. We'll be heading over to my office to begin the interview."

Anthony nodded and looked to Lu who smiled again.

"Good luck." He whispered and Lu grinned.

The three remaining doctors watched the man leave and although it was the first time he'd seen Lucinda, Hugo already felt the girl was some similar to himself or Ms. Peabody than he familiar. She had an aura to her that he recognized well; it was that of someone who caught onto details. That type of profile could either get you a long way or get you killed in Arkham; the deciding characteristic between the two is what one was willing to do with these details they noticed.

Yin knew she had to be convincing, perhaps after recent events she would never be seen as innocent again for the atmosphere of death never really leaves a killer; it's only ever hidden. But if she had a strong feeling that tugging on Hugo's heartstrings wasn't as easy a task as it seemed. Oswald had told her about what he'd gone through at the place but it was basically the same things she'd heard as table conversation during her youth. It didn't shock her one bit but it left her perplexed as to what would be the best way to appeal to a person who lacked empathy all together.

Lu was taken to Dr. Strange's office along with the woman who seemed to be his shadow. The place looked organized and strangely refined for a prison office. She instantly understood that her new target was a sophisticated man, yet he surrounded himself in a place filled with broken minds and lost causes. This was confusing to Lucinda for she'd always been just the opposite, hiding her true self behind social standards. Strange was utterly willing, almost as if eager, to display his perfectionism and though he appeared cool Lu sensed a characteristic that had originally drawn her to Ed; he was hungry for praise and Lu had taught herself the art of people pleasing long ago.

As the man walked around his desk and calmly took his seat before observing Peabody closed the door Lucinda connected the dots; Hugo Strange had a God complex. He liked to transform things as to feel in control. Peabody was his loyal subject and would ultimately be Lu's doorway to the deeper levels of the asylum.

"So Lucinda, I've taken a look at Green's recommendation letter. It seems as if you're very efficient." He eyed the girl with hands folded over his desk.

His gaze was cold and dissecting but Lucinda was able to evade the thousands of other question he secretly posed with the look. She understood what he was doing; purposely trying to mix her mind as to which of the details she should pay closer attention to, the question or the slicing glare.

The girl smiled and crossed her legs. Peabody didn't miss the action and her brows instantly furrowed, wary of the probable new staff.

"Many see Arkham as a dump; a dead end. I grew up hearing my uncle telling me how his job was to restore people to their original state; to reboot them. And though I do agree that Arkham is nowhere near the end I don't think we should strive to restore them. How can someone be the same after they've been through unforgettable experiences? I don't believe we can."

Peabody couldn't help but speak up.

"Then why would you want to work at an asylum?" Lucinda turned her head to look at the woman in the coat. She'd felt her dislike for her since she'd arrived and Lu saw that she was Hugo's right hand.

"What else would you want to do these patients?"

The girl had chosen her words carefully and had hoped that it would lead the conversation to this point. Hugo observed intently as Lu shot the woman a witty little grin.

"Recreate them."

Peabody looked over to Hugo and the man raised his brows as if to tell her he'd made his decision.

"I agree completely, Ms. Yin."

Lucinda faced the man again and smiled satisfied.

"You can start tomorrow. Ms. Peabody will be in charge of familiarizing you with each section of our facility and will decide where you'll be posted. Is that all right with you, Ms. Peabody?" The doctor looked over to the woman and Peabody stiffed up.

"Of course."

Lucinda smiled and stood from her chair along with Hugo before reaching out to shake his hand.

"Thank you Dr. Strange."

"Nonsense, it's a pleasure to have someone with such… potential join us."

Lu nodded happily and headed out. Peabody waited until she was out of ear range to express her apprehension towards the girl.

"Are you thinking of doing what I think you are?"

Hugo smiled that clever smile that found its way on his lips whenever he felt Peabody worrying too much.

"She's not as dimwitted as her uncle and she's definitely capable of more than what she shows."

"She just got here; we don't know how she'll react."

"Ms. Peabody." Hugo spoke up mostly to keep the woman from continuing her worrisome comments. If there was one thing that the doctor liked it was observing people's reactions.

"Put her in with the level nines. Report to me how well she manages."

"You intend on adding her to the Chimera Project, don't you?" The lady turned to watch Lucinda walking away.

"I do." Hugo smiled and walked away from his partner with a million ideas going through his mind.

Lucinda looked at the common room as she past the high security exit of the prison. There was some commotion and a familiar voice spoke up a little louder than the rest. Lu would have recognized that tone anywhere and the girl's heart started to beat a bit faster. Her green eyes darted around the inmates all dressed the same until she found what she was looking for. She drew in a breath as she saw Ed like that. He was walking over a table and saying something she couldn't make out too well. Honestly Lucinda didn't mind the details, she was just happy to see him. She thought that he'd be different but this was another thing completely. Ironically, although he was in his prisoner's uniform and behind bars he looked utterly unrestricted.

The girl thought of all the horribly wonderful things they would be able to do together now that they'd both allowed they true natures to flourish. Abominable, violent, brutal, romantic, loving, erotic thoughts swirled around in the girl's mind and she smiled with a wicked twinkle in her jade eyes.


End file.
